The Covenant: The New Line
by Wolfess221
Summary: Two new students arrive at Spencer and cause problems for the new line of Sons. Taking place 19 years after Too Much Power can Kill. Full synopsis inside
1. A rocky start to a happy birthday

**Synopsis: It's nineteen years later and the Sons of Ipswich are happily married and are proud fathers. Chase is dead and Carter hasn't been heard from since that fateful day. When two new boys arrive at Spencer Academy, no one thinks anything of it. Until strange things start to happen in the small town. Turns out Chase had planted his seed before he died. Now the new line of Sons must face the sons of their fathers' enemy, but it won't be as easy as it seems since the two boys are stronger than they should be. They have a secret that no one expected, and it'll make it harder for the young Sons to defeat them...**

**Here it is everyone; my final Covenant story. And when I say " final" I mean final in this series...don't worry I'm still going to be writing more Covenant fics. Enjoy this one; I had fun writing the first chapter and I'm on the second chapter now. Will update soon.**

Nineteen years earlier…

Tyler straightened his suit and fingered at his hair nervously. He couldn't believe he was here, that he was actually doing it. A month after Reid and Grace had gotten married he'd proposed to Taylor who nearly screamed with happiness. Now it was two months after that and here he was, in the bathroom of the Ipswich church, fiddling with his tie that wasn't cooperating.

" Damnit!" he growled, trying to place the tie correctly with no luck.

A small chuckle sounded behind him and Tyler didn't need to turn around to know that it was Reid. The blonde came to stand beside the brunette, looking in the mirror. " This is the fourth wedding I've been to this year and I'm getting just a little bit tired of it." He turned his head at Tyler and smiled. " But I'll try not to fall asleep."

" You'd better not fall asleep; otherwise Caleb will be on my case for choosing you as my best man." He glared down at his tie, which was still not cooperating.

Reid laughed. " Want some help Baby Boy?" Without waiting for an answer he turned Tyler to face him and began to fix his tie.

Tyler looked ahead while this was being done. " Reid, are you guys gonna call me Baby Boy even when we're fathers?"

" Even when we're eighty." Reid patted Tyler's chest, the tie now perfect. " There." He stood back and smiled. " You look good Simms."

Tyler smiled back. " You too Garwin."

" Okay enough sappy shit; you've got a wedding to get to!" He laughed and guided Tyler out the door.

As with all their weddings, the audience consisted of friends and family. Rose Simms beamed at her son and Tyler smiled back. Caleb and Pogue couldn't keep their smiles off their faces as they watched their baby brother grow up, or so they had said the night before. Sarah, Kate, and Grace looked gorgeous in the coral-colored dresses; they couldn't get enough of weddings, especially when it meant that they got to go shopping for new dresses.

Once again the wedding tune started up and everyone turned to the back as Taylor, accompanied by Randy, began the walk down the aisle. Tyler nearly fell when he saw Taylor, and luckily Reid was holding his arm to steady him.

Taylor reached the front, the vows were said and before he knew it Tyler was married. As he gazed into Taylor's loving eyes he couldn't wait for them to start their life together.

-

Present day.

Coden groaned when his alarm went off at seven in the morning. Monday. He hated Mondays. But it _was_ his birthday today; he'd turned seventeen at five that morning. And, as always on his birthday, his parents made him his favorite breakfast; strawberry pancakes. And by parents he meant his father because boy could Tyler Simms make some mean pancakes. Coden used to think that it was weird having a dad who cooked better then his mom, but now he wasn't complaining, nor did his friends when they came over and Tyler made nachos, even if he _did_ steal half the plate for himself

Shutting the alarm off Coden got out of bed, stretched, and exited his room. He walked down the long hallway that was lined on both sides with extra bedrooms that were never used. Being an only child with rich parents normally resulted in a large mansion with many spare bedrooms to fill in the extra space. Coden had asked when he was fourteen to be moved from the second floor bedroom across the hall from his parents' room to the third floor, which only had bedrooms and another bathroom, though he never used it since he had on in his room.

Reaching the end of the hall he descended the flight of stairs to the floor below. Another hallway opened into a vast living room with brown leather couches and loveseats that rested against and near the wall and a large plasma-screen TV facing it from the opposite wall. This was all to his left. To the right the whole wall was one giant window, looking out into the backyard that held the in-ground swimming pool. The yard led into the forest behind Coden's home. Straight ahead of him was a small hallway where Tyler and Taylor's bedroom and another bathroom was.

Coden rubbed his eyes as he sluggishly walked past the couches to the railing that overlooked down to the main entrance. Coden leaned over it and looked down, seeing the door and table against the wall. A light was coming from the kitchen to the right of the door, joined by the smell of pancakes. Coden inhaled deeply, mouth watering. He walked to the stairs beside the TV and descended to the main entrance and into the kitchen.

Taylor Simms was sitting at the table, sipping at a cup of coffee while Tyler was busy at the stove making his famous pancakes.

He yawned and scratched his bare chest. " 'Orning Mom, Dad." He sat down across from his mother.

Taylor smiled warmly at her son. " Happy birthday Coden." She got up, intending on giving him a hug.

Coden grinned and got up too. He hugged her, and then received a disapproving look from her. " Coden, I'm aware that it's your birthday today, but I'd appreciate it if you wore pants to the table." She raised an eyebrow.

He looked down at his navy blue boxers. He shrugged. " Well, Dad gave them to me yesterday and wanted to know how I liked them. Plus, he said that waking up on your birthday in a brand new pair of boxers really makes you feel fresh." He glanced at Tyler. " Thanks Dad." Tyler grinned and chuckled.

Taylor sighed, smiled and shook her head. " Of course." She turned to her husband. " You decided to give him a present early and you gave him _boxers_?"

Tyler chuckled. " Hey, it's what my dad gave me; thought I'd start a tradition."

" I'll keep that in mind Dad," Coden laughed and sat back down. " So, how about those pancakes?"

Tyler grinned and set a plate of pancakes in front of him and ruffled his hair. " Happy birthday son."

" Thanks." He dug in.

-

Tyson Garwin leaned against his green 2007 Jaguar XK Convertible, his uniform jacket draped over his arm. He hated wearing it, but it was one of the many things he didn't like about Spencer Academy.

Beside him Brian Danvers was also leaning against his pride and joy; a silver 2003 Lexus SC 430 hardtop convertible, though he had his full uniform on. They both waited impatiently for the two youngest boys to arrive.

Brian looked at his watch once again and groaned. " It's eight o'clock Tyse. I'm not waiting for them if they're late again."

" Chill Brian. They'll be here," Tyson said, getting a bit irritated with the second oldest boy. He was always whining!

Just then a blue Shelby and West Coast Custom Mustang roared down the street and veered into the parking spot next to Brian. Sighing Tyson made his way over with Brian as Coden got out, already in uniform. He smiled. " Hey guys."

Brian pounded fists with the boy, much like their fathers had done when they were teens. " Hey Coden, happy birthday man!"

" Yeah you're finally seventeen!" Tyson laughed.

Coden joined in. " Yeah thanks."

" Now Jon's the only one left out," Brian teased. All three boys laughed.

The purr of an engine sounded and Jonathan Perry pulled in beside Coden in his electric red Celica. He didn't get out.

Confused and slightly curious the boys edged closer and looked through the passenger window. It was slightly foggy so they couldn't get a very good look at him, but he appeared to be shaking faintly.

Tyson rapped at the window. " Hey Jon! You coming out?"

" Yeah," Brian added, cupping his hands on either side of his face and pressed against the window. " Come wish Coden happy birthday!"

" And help us give him his birthday bumps!" Tyson chuckled while Coden shot him a glare. Still Jonathan didn't get out.

They become frustrated. " Jonathan get your ass out here!" Tyson yelled.

Coden shook his head and walked to the other side of the Celica. He put his hand on the door handle and opened it. "Jonathan what…?" He didn't finish. Jonathan had turned his shaggy head and faced Coden. Coden's eyes widened." Oh shit Jon, what happened?"

At the urgency in his voice Brian and Tyson came over and their eyes widened too. "Jonathan what the hell happened?" Tyson repeated Coden's question.

Jonathan's eyes were wet and shinny, his cheeks moist. On his cheekbone was a very dark purple bruise, a pinkish cut in the middle of it. He looked afraid and confused at the same time. His hands were gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Coden placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. " Jonathan, what happened?" he spoke softly, eyes concerned.

Jonathan blinked away fresh tears but didn't answer. He turned away from them.

Tyson bent down, pried Jonathan's hands from the wheel and he and Brian eased the boy out of the car. Jonathan stood with his head down, his shaggy brown hair curtaining his face.

Tyson draped an arm over his shoulders, shaking him gently. " Hey, hey," he soothed." It's okay man. Just tell us. Who did this?"

Jonathan took a shaky breath. " My d-dad."

All three boys were taken aback. Coden shook his head, confused. " Wait. Your _dad_?" Jonathan nodded.

Brian's fists clenched instinctively. " Why did he do that?"

Jonathan shrugged. Coden bent down and looked up, meeting Jonathan's eyes. "Jon, something must have happened to make Pogue do that," he questioned softly.

With another reassuring shake of his shoulders by Tyson, Jonathan answered. " It wasn't his fault. I mean, he didn't _mean_ too…"

" Stop defending him Jonathan!" Brian growled. Jonathan flinched slightly at the sudden fierceness.

Tyson and Coden shot Brian a look that clearly said shut up. They knew he had issues with Pogue, but Jonathan didn't need that kind of tone right now!

Tyson turned back to Jonathan. " What happened?"

" Mom and Dad got into a fight this morning…something about taxes I think…and I, I don't like them to fight." He paused, taking a shaky breath. " I tried to make them stop. Not physically…I mean, my dad's not one you wanna pick a fight with. I just started trying to reason with them, saying just any shit that might make them stop. Dad started telling me to f-off in between yelling at Mom." He let out a short, bitter laugh. " I didn't stop. Dad got annoyed by me so he just swung around and…" He let it trail off, knowing that they knew what had happened next. He lifted his head up. " He used the hand with his ring too," he told them, pointing at the cut among the purple. " After that I just ran…got in my car and drove here."

As the story sunk in the boys realized that Jonathan was afraid of his father. Coden made a mental note to tell Tyler about this later.

Tyson brought Jonathan into a hug. " Don't worry man. It'll get sorted out."

Jonathan didn't do anything. " I don't want to go home tonight," he whispered. Like Brian, Tyson, and Coden, he didn't sleep in the dorms.

Coden patted his back. " You can stay at my place Jon."

Jonathan glanced at him and smiled thankfully.

" Okay," Tyson said, breaking the hug. " Let's get to class before we get detention again. We'll deal with this later." They nodded and headed for the school doors. Tyson hung back a bit with Brian. He grabbed his shoulder. " Brian, you need to relax. Our dads will deal with Pogue."

Brian shook with anger. " Pogue's needed to be dealt with since we were fourteen Tyson!" As he shook a tear of hatred trickled down his cheek.

Tyson sighed and flipped some of his blonde hair back. " Brian, what he did to you, it was fucked up. But you know that he was dead drunk when he did it and after he was sober he was really sorry! Our dads talked to him too remember? Caleb even slugged him once or twice. You gotta let it go and move on!"

Brian shot the blonde a furious look. " Move on? Move on? How the fuck am I just gonna move on? He molested me Tyson! I can't just _get over it_!" He was yelling now, tears welling up and running down his face. His breaths came in rasps and heavily. " I can't…I _won't_ get over it Tyson! I _hate_ him!" Brian hid his face in his hands and doubled over, kneeling on the asphalt where he broke down, shaking as the tears flowed.

Tyson quickly cursed himself and hastened over to his friend. He got down beside Brian and put his arm around his shoulders. " Brian I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse. I hate what he did to you, but I'm trying to be a good person and forgive him. I don't like holding grudges."

Brian unhid his face. " Yeah, well I'm not as forgiving as you Tyse. I don't like holding grudges either, but I will never forgive Pogue. And there's nothing that'll change that."

" I know. And you have every right to hate him."

" And it's bad enough that it happened, but by my best friend's _father_? That makes it so much worse."

Tyson knew what he meant but wanted Brian to say it out loud. It might make him feel better if he said it openly. " What do you mean?"

A sigh escaped the boy's lips. " If it was just some stranger, I'd never have to see him again. But Pogue…I always have to see him. And I hate how he acts like nothing's happened, and whenever I glare at him he doesn't take the hint."

" He's just trying to put it in the past Brian," Tyson explained.

" I don't care." Brian seemed intent on ending the conversation.

Tyson picked up on that feeling so he brought it to a close. " Okay. Just be cool around Jon; he's pretty shaken up. Okay?"

He nodded.

" Alright then," he changed tones, patting Brian's back. " Let's get to class." He stood up.

Brian did the same, but frowned. " What for? We'll get detention for sure now."

A sly smile spread across Tyson's face. " Not if we say the right words to Ms. Easton eh?"

Brian chuckled. " Of course. Our dads will be pissed if they find out we've Used on a teacher."

" Exactly; _if_ they find out." The sly grin stayed in place as he and Brian made their way to the door.

**Please review!**


	2. A concerned mother

**Here's chapter 2! **

**Okay, I've received some complaints on chapter 1 about Pogue...allow me to clear it up. He did not mean to molest Brian...he was drunk and was really sorry after. Brian just doesn't forgive him, which is understandable. Second, Pogue didn't mean to hurt Jonathan; he was angry and didn't think. He's really sorry for that too. Pogue's not a bad person in my story; he just made a few mistakes. **

**And someone also commented on how some of them seem to have their fathers mixed up, like Brian and Tyson. Okay; just because Reid was a bad-ass doesn't mean that Tyson has to be. And just because Caleb was forgiving and stuff doesn't mean that Brian has to be. It's their personalities and I'm not changing them. I'm not saying this to be mean or anything and I'm not critizizing those who left those comments. I'm glad you did because you're telling me how you feel and that's great. Just letting you know that that's how they are. **

**So please enjoy this chapter and I will update a.s.a.p! **

" I can't believe you did it again Pogue!" Tyler yelled over the phone. It was after school the same day and when Coden had arrived home right after school-when he normally went to Nicky's with the other Sons-with a bruised Jonathan, Tyler knew something was up. When Coden explained what had happened and that Jonathan was going to be crashing here, Tyler had furiously dialed the Perry's number. They'd been arguing for a bit now.

" No, I _know_ you didn't mean to! But he's you son Goddammit! You should've-" He got interrupted and listened impatiently. " I don't care how fast he ran out the door! You of all people should know that Jonathan's a sensitive kid!" He listened again. This time he sighed. " I know. But you're going to have to control yourself. That's two of our sons you've hurt. If Coden ends up being the third so help me Pogue…" He listened. " Okay. Yeah he's here. No he's staying here for the night. Yeah bye." He hung up and sighed.

Coden and Jonathan listened intently to the conversation from the living room, leaning over the railing. When Tyler hung up they both breathed out and sat on one of the couches. Jonathan looked at his hands. " So how mad do you think my dad will be when I go home?"

Coden fumbled around his brain for the right words. " I don't think he'll be mad Jon. He'll most likely apologize. You know your dad; he didn't mean to."

Jonathan let out a bitter laugh. " You mean how he hadn't meant to sexually assault Brian?"

Coden shuddered as he thought back to when they were fourteen. All four families had gone on a camping trip and all the parents had gotten drunk (a tad irresponsible while looking after four fourteen year olds), but Pogue had drunk the most. Completely wasted. Brian had gone off for a walk by himself, ran into the drunk man and…

Coden sighed. " You know he didn't mean to Jon."

He nodded. " Yeah. I know." A few moments of silence passed.

Coden looked at his watch. It was twenty to five. " You up for Nicky's?" he asked Jonathan.

The younger boy thought about it. Then he nodded. " Sure. Let's go." He stood up.

Coden did the same, then stopped. " Uh, Jon?"

He turned to him. " Yeah?"

" Don't you think we should change?" he asked, glancing down at their uniformed bodies.

Jonathan shrugged. " You can. I haven't got any clothes here."

" You can borrow some."

" Nah. I'll just leave my jacket and tie here. Besides, I think I look rather sexy in my uniform." He smiled in a cocky manner.

Coden laughed. " Yeah, you're a real sex machine. Come on," he chuckled as he made his way upstairs and to his room. Jonathan smiled.

Jonathan plopped down on Coden's bed, grabbed the remote from his bedside table and turned on the TV that rested in the wall unit against the light blue wall. He crossed his arms behind his head, crossed his legs over each other and watched the hockey game that was playing.

Coden shook his head at the lounging boy and went to his dresser that stood beside his closet, rummaging for something to wear.

A sudden throb of pain appeared in Jonathan's cheekbone and he gasped a little, rubbing the bruise gently. He winced as it throbbed again and he turned to Coden, who was going through his closet. " Hey Coden?" he called, hand resting on his cheek.

Coden continued to search his closet. " Yeah?" he answered without looking at him.

" You got any aspirin or something?"

" Yeah. There's some in the kitchen. Usual place."

" 'Kay." Jonathan got up and went downstairs. Once in the kitchen he began searching the cupboards, looking for the painkillers. Except he couldn't remember which cupboard held the drugs in question. So he searched them all, careful not to make too much noise. Unfortunately when he reached the cupboard above the stove his elbow knocked against a pot that had been left on the stove. It clattered to the floor, followed by its lid. It seemed louder then normally in the kitchen. Jonathan flinched at the sound.

He heard a sound coming from the study and knew he'd disturbed someone. He stooped to pick up the mess just as Taylor hurried in from the dining room entrance, a worried expression on her pretty face.

She saw Jonathan and her face softened. She'd always had a soft spot for the Perry boy. She walked over to him just as he stood up, face red. " What happened Jonathan?"

" I'm sorry Mrs. Simms. I was looking for some aspirin and I knocked the pots over. I'm sorry."

Taylor smiled. " Don't worry about it Jonathan. Aspirin?" she questioned.

He nodded. " Yeah, my cheek started to hurt. I can't remember where they are," he told her, blushing.

" Well you were on the right track," she mused, pacing past him to another set of cupboards to the right of the stove. She reached up, grabbed the bottle, and handed it to him. Her expression saddened as he took the pills with a glass of water. " Are you sure you're okay Jonathan?"

" Oh yeah. It just hurts from time to time. I'll be okay."

" No, I wasn't talking about the bruise. I mean at home. I've been talking to Kate and she said that things were a little rocky right now. Everything okay?"

Jonathan swallowed the last pill. " Yeah. Yeah it's fine. Having some tax issues that's all."

Taylor studied his face, then smiled. " Okay. That's what Kate told me too."

Jonathan frowned. " So why did you ask me if you already knew?"

" I just wanted to see if it was true or not. I know that Kate is very proud and sometimes if something's wrong she doesn't always tell the truth. But you do Jonathan. Thank you." She smiled at him and brought him into a hug.

Jonathan accepted her hug gratefully. It was times like these that he sometimes wished that Taylor Simms were his mother. Sure Kate was an excellent mother, but when something was bothering him she didn't always pick up on it. Whenever he came to Coden's house Taylor picked up on it right away and brought him into a warm hug that he always envied Coden for. That was another reason why he came here a lot. Not only were he and Coden closer than the other boys, but also he loved Taylor like his own mother. Tyler was a great father too. He sometimes wished Tyler were his dad instead of Pogue. Pogue wasn't a bad father; he never hit Jonathan or yells at him. Only very rarely did he shout, and that was because he was either busy with something and Jonathan would bug him or for some other reason.

Just then Coden ran in, wearing a pair of jeans and a navy blue T-shirt. " Hey Mom…um, okay," he stopped his sentence as he came in on them hugging. " Mom, does Dad know about this?" he asked, grinning.

Taylor frowned at her son. " Grow up Coden." She broke the hug. " You too have fun and be careful. She left the room.

Coden raised an eyebrow at Jonathan.

Jonathan stared back. " What?"

" You like my mom?"

" No! She just…I dunno man. Sometimes I wished that she was my mom you know?"

" Sure. Come on let's go!" They both left the house for Nicky's.

**Pleave review!**


	3. The dream

**Chapter three! Whoot! Enjoy!**

The music was pounding, the teens were dancing, and the alcohol was being consumed. The bar was filled with teens, relaxing after a hard and boring day of school. That's what Tyson and Brian were doing, or trying too. It was trying their patience that the rest of their gang wasn't there yet; and they couldn't really have a good time until all four of them were together.

Once again the two boys started another one-on-one game of pool, though they were getting tired of it. They knocked the balls around without enthusiasm, the clickety-clack of the objects ricocheting off each other buzzing with the other various noises of the bar.

Brian checked his watch again, groaning and rolling his eyes. " Okay Tyson; if they don't show in the next five minutes, I'm out."

" Agreed. Five minutes."

-

" Come on! Start dammit!" Coden growled at his car, turning the ignition repeatedly. He and Jonathan had decided to take Coden's Mustang to Nicky's, which had been a mistake since Coden had forgotten to fill the Mustang up with gas. They were about fifteen minutes away when they stopped dead on the road. And unfortunately for them they'd decided to take a detour; there was no one around to help them out.

Jonathan sat shotgun, rolling his eyes had Coden. " Coden, no matter how many times you tell it to start, it won't. This baby's going nowhere without gas."

Coden stopped turning the ignition and slumped back in his seat. " You're right," he sighed, and his eyes went black. Instantly the Mustang roared to life and Coden grinned. " There; now she's full."

The Perry boy sighed and looked ahead. " Yeah, yeah. Just get us to Nicky's before it closes okay?"

" You got it."

-

" Alright, that's it. I'm outta here." Brian threw down his pool stick and headed for the door, not waiting for Tyson who was in the bathroom.

At that moment the door opened and Coden and Jonathan entered the bar. Brian blinked and frowned. " Where the hell have you been?" he demanded. " We've been here for ever!"

" Sorry; we had car trouble," Coden apologized.

" Whatever, I'm not really in the mood for pool."

" Aww come on; one game?" Jonathan begged, making his puppy-dog face.

Brian groaned. " You've _got_ to stop doing that Jon! God! Fine! One game!"

Jonathan smiled and headed over to the vacant table. Coden and Brian followed.

Once there Coden glanced around. " Where's Tyson?"

Brian concentrated on getting all the balls together in the triangle. " Bathroom," he said simply.

As he spoke a hand clamped down on Coden's and Jonathan's backs. " Well, well, well. Look who _finally_ decided to grace us with their presences," Tyson jeered, patting their backs. " Well boys, let's get started then shall we?" He picked up his stick.

Brian looked at the blonde. " No, let's _end_ this," he corrected him.

Tyson looked at him blankly. " Huh?"

" I'm tired of this game Tyse; we're playing one game, then calling it a night."

Tyson frowned. " Pussies," he muttered, chalking his stick up.

-

The clock struck twelve when Coden and Jonathan finally got home. They'd suckered Brian into a few more games before calling it quits.

They made their way to Coden's room quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping parents.

Jonathan threw himself on Coden's bed, rubbing his eyes. " Man, am I beat!"

Coden laughed on his way to his bathroom. " Don't get too comfortable there Jon; you're sleeping on the floor." He shut the door.

Jonathan frowned. " Whatever happened to common courtesy?" he shouted.

" It doesn't apply to best friends!" the brunette shouted back through the closed door. He came out and took his shirt and jeans off, tossing them in the hamper. He marched over to the bed, flicking his hand at Jonathan. " Okay, off."

Groaning he got off and stripped down to his boxers, carefully folding his uniform and placing it on Coden's dresser. He shot Coden a disbelieving look. " Am I _really_ expected to sleep on the floor?"

Coden reached over and snatched one of his pillows, chucking it at the shaggy-haired boy. " Yup. There are extra blankets in the closet. Night." He turned over and fell asleep.

Sighing Jonathan grabbed a comforter and settled himself into the soft blue carpet, snuggling into his pillow. After lying there for a while sleep finally came.

-

_Wherever he was, it was cold. And foggy; he couldn't see more then a foot in front of him. Confused and a little scared Jonathan spun around in all directions, but it was always the same. His breath came out in clouds and he shivered, wishing he had some clothes on other than his boxers._

_A twig snapped behind him and he spun around, eyes wide. " Hello?" he called out, squinting his eyes to try and see whoever it was that was here with him. As he stared a man suddenly appeared, though he was too far away and it was too foggy to see him clearly._

_Jonathan squinted more. " Hello?"_

_The man didn't answer; he just stood there, like he was frozen. Suddenly he began to vibrate and Jonathan could only stare as the man vibrated more and more until he split into two men, though these new forms were different from the first. Taller, and thinner. They too just stood there while Jonathan stared, amazed and a bit frightened. A man had become two rights before his eyes._

_The two new men seemed to grin evilly at him and, for a split second Jonathan could've sworn that their eyes flashed night black. Then they disappeared and everything went black…_

_-_

Jonathan opened his eyes and sat up, confused. It had been a dream, but what a strange dream. He blinked and noticed the sun streaming through the window. Morning. Late morning too; they were late for school.

He turned to look at Coden and was surprised to see that he was sitting up too, his brow furrowed. Jonathan swallowed. " Coden?"

Coden turned to him. " I had a weird dream," he said softly.

" Me too."

" It was really cold…"

" Foggy…"

" A man appeared…"

" The split into two…"

" And their eyes…"

" Were black." Jonathan blinked. Strange. They'd had the same dream.

Coden stared at him, voicing his thoughts. " We had the same dream."

Jonathan nodded. " What does it mean?"

" I don't know. Let's call Brian and Tyson; maybe they had it too."

Turns out the other two did have the same dream, and they insisted on discussing it.

They met at the Colony house and sat down at their appointed seats. The fire blazed and reflected off their eyes.

Tyson spoke first, his voice steady. " So we all had the same dream, at the same time. But what does it mean?"

That was the one thing they couldn't figure out. It didn't make any sense; a man becoming two people? Absurd.

Brian shrugged. " Maybe it doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's just one of those fucked up dreams."

" But we all had it, exactly the same," Jonathan protested.

" Right. Plus it felt…different from normal dreams. Almost like a warning or something."

Tyson and Jonathan nodded in agreement. Brian stared at the floor. Tyson looked at him. " Brian? What is it?"

" Nothing." He looked up at the others. " It was just a dream okay? It means nothing. There are numerous cases of people having the same dreams; that's what happened. Nothing else." He rose from his seat and marched up the stairs.

A silence followed, filled with confusion. What had gotten into Brian? That they didn't know. But there was one thing they did know; it was not just a dream. It meant something. What that something was they weren't sure of…yet.

**Please review!**


	4. Hang tight

**Sorry this one's short...it'll get better. Please review!**

A light snow drifted down as Brian drove home. There was a lot on his mind, like how he was going to explain to his parents why he wasn't at school. But what was really on his mind was the dream. He knew the others were right; it meant something. But the dream had freaked him out because he had an idea what might be going on, but it wasn't very accurate. True, Caleb had always told him to be on guard for anything. He'd told him about Chase Collins and how Tyler had killed him (that had surprised him; he couldn't imagine Tyler killing anyone). They all knew. But Caleb had told Brian to expect anything from Chase, even though he was dead. He also warned them about Carter Collins because, even though they hadn't heard from him in nineteen years, he might try something.

Brian knew that the dream had something to do with Chase, but didn't know exactly what. And that thought really freaked him out.

He pulled into his driveway, locked his Lexus, and went inside. The foyer was warm and he could hear the TV from the living room. He was halfway up the staircase when the sound of a throat clearing softly made him stop. Caught in the act. He turned around slowly and faced his mother.

Sarah Danvers stood at the foot of the staircase, hands on her hips, her lips set in a firm line. Brian waited.

" Brian William Danvers, what aren't you doing at school?" she asked, her voice deadly.

Brian winced. It was never a good thing when his mom was mad. He rattled his brain for a reasonable excuse. " Umm…I…" He bit his bottom lip. He'd never been good at lying.

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

So he stuck to the truth. " I had to discuss something with the guys."

" What could possibly be so important that you had to ditch school?"

He looked at his feet. " A dream…" he mumbled.

She hadn't heard. " What was that?"

" A dream we all had."

She stared at him. " A dream?"

He nodded.

Sarah threw her hands up, exasperated. " A dream! I can't believe you Brian! Of all the ridiculous excuses you've come up with, this one is the most absurd!"

" Mom it's the truth!" he protested, eyes pleading.

" Now that's enough! Your behavior lately is absolutely unacceptable. You're skipping school, talking back…it's terrible!"

" Mom!"

" And your attitude towards Pogue! Completely unnecessary!"

Brian flinched and felt his face heat up. He could feel tears welling up and didn't stop them. He sucked air in through his clenched teeth, glaring at the stairs.

Sarah realized too late the impact of her words. Her eyes went wide and her face softened. " Brian I…"

His eyes snapped up to her face, filled with anger. Without a single word he turned and fled up the steps, slamming his door as hard as he could.

Sarah shut her eyes and flinched at the loud sound. At that moment the front door opened and Caleb walked in, eyes confused. " Sarah?"

She turned around and flung herself into his arms. A bit surprised Caleb wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close. " Hey, hey. What's wrong honey?"

Still wrapped up in his arms she looked up at him. " I said something to Brian that I shouldn't have."

" What did you say?"

" I told him his attitude towards Pogue was unnecessary." She buried her face in his chest.

He stroked her hair, resting his head on top of hers. " Sarah, you know how Brian feels about what happened. And I know that you wish he'd forgive Pogue, but he won't. There's nothing we can do to change that."

" I know. I didn't even mean to say it. I was just upset with him. He didn't go to school, and neither did the others."

Caleb seemed to realize for the first time that Brian hadn't been at school. He cleared his throat. " Why wasn't he at school?"

" He said that he and the others had had a dream, but that's crazy."

Caleb's brow furrowed. " Yeah, crazy," he repeated absentmindedly, gazing up the stairs. " I'm going to go talk to him." He kissed the top of her head and went upstairs.

-

Reid Garwin frowned at his son. " A dream?"

Tyson nodded. " Yeah, and we all had the same one."

" Hmm," Reid said thoughtfully.

It was three o'clock the same day and Tyson was in his living room with his father. Grace had scolded him for not being at school, but when he'd said why, Reid had taken over.

Reid scratched his blonde head. " What was it about?"

Tyson explained what they'd all seen; the strange man, how he'd divided into two men, and how their eyes had been black. He also mentioned how they'd all had the exact same dream.

Reid frowned. " You all had the same dream?"

Tyson rolled his eyes. " _Yes!_ Can we move on please?"

Reid glared at his son. " We'll move at my pace Tyson."

" Your pace is pretty damn slow," he muttered.

The father narrowed his eyes very much like he had when he was a teen. " Any idea what it means?"

" If we knew I wouldn't be telling you," he snapped.

" You listen here young man; whether you know or not, you'll tell me. Especially something like this. Got it?"

Tyson nodded, then narrowed his own eyes. " What do you mean, ' something like this'? Do you know what it means?"

Reid sighed. " Maybe. I've got to talk to the guys though." He stood up and went to the phone, dialing Pogue's number. The middle-aged biker was probably the only one who didn't know about the dream because Jonathan hadn't gone home yet. He'd heard about what he'd done and hadn't been too happy about it.

It rang three times before it clicked. " Hello?" It was a female voice. It sounded tired.

" Hi Kate," he greeted.

" Oh, hey Reid."

" How are you?"

" I'm worried. Jonathan hasn't come home yet and whenever I call the Simms', Tyler and Taylor, even Coden won't let me talk to him." Reid could tell that she was very upset about this.

" How come?"

" They're worried that I'll say something to guilt him into coming home."

" Oh," he said, not sure how else to answer.

" Yeah." A pause. " Did you need something?"

" Oh, yeah. I need to talk to Pogue."

" Sure, hold on." She put the phone on hold and he waited.

A click. " Hey Reid, what's up?"

" Hey Pogue. Look, there's something you need to know."

" Save it; Tyler already called. He said that he and Caleb think it means the same thing I do."

" Which is?"

" Something to do with Chase. What else could it mean?"

" Same here. And I don't know. We should just hang tight for now. See if anything else comes up."

" I think so too. So do Caleb and Tyler."

" Alright. So we wait it out."

" Yup."

" Alright. Bye man."

" See ya." He hung up.

Sighing Reid did the same. Chase…it couldn't be. Tyler had killed him. They'd burned his body. It had to mean something else.

Rubbing his face with a hand he got into his black Chevrolet and drove to Tyler's. He needed to be with his baby brother right now. As he drove a light snow drifted down, powdering the windshield.

**Please review!**


	5. New students and the warning

**Here you go. Enjoy!**

School Wednesday was brutal for the Sons. They'd all missed a math test and had to take it at lunch, Coden and Jonathan had missed important notes in French and history, and Tyson and Brian had missed an experiment in science and a quiz in geography. On top of that, Jonathan still hadn't gone home and Pogue, tired of calling and not being permitted to speak with his son, had gone over to the Simms estate and had demanded to see Jonathan. Tyler had had a tough time getting Pogue to calm down and leave. Tyler then had to explain to Jonathan, who'd misinterpreted Pogue's determination to apologize as anger, that Pogue wasn't cross with him; just worried and sorry. It had been a very stressed day.

Thursday dawned better and the Sons chatted in their morning math class, waiting for their teacher, Mr. Pekoe, to arrive.

" So, Coden," Brian was saying, leaning against the desk. " What are you doing for your birthday?"

" Oh, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

Tyson, who stood beside Brian, made a disbelieving noise. " You haven't thought about it? Come on Coden; you only turn seventeen once."

" So you've said when I turned sixteen, and fifteen, and so on," he retorted, grinning.

Just then the class door opened and Mr. Pekoe walked in, briefcase in hand like everyday. But, unlike the other days of the school year, he didn't come in alone. Two boys followed in uniform, books in hand.

Mr. Pekoe set his briefcase on his desk and called for attention. The students sat in their seats. Rolling their eyes Brian and Tyson took their seats behind Coden and Jonathan.

" Now that I have your attention, I have an announcement to make before we begin the day's lesson." He spread an arm out in the direction of the two boys. " We have two new students today. Mason," he pointed at the wavy-haired brunette who towered over himself, " and Lyle Sanderson." The other boy, Lyle, was just as tall as his brother; only he had spiky reddish brown hair instead. Neither of them smiled, their brown eyes cold.

Mr. Pekoe turned to them. " Why don't you tell us more about yourselves?"

The brunette, Mason, turned his head to glower at the teacher. " We'd rather not." His voice was deep, smooth, and had the tone of authority. Lyle said nothing.

Swallowing Mr. Pekoe nodded. " O-okay. Um, then please take your seats in front of Mr. Simms and Mr. Perry."

Without a word the boys made their way up the steps and took their seats in front of the youngest Sons. As Mr. Pekoe began the lesson Lyle Sanderson glanced over his shoulder and stared up at Coden and Jonathan with his cold, brooding eyes.

Coden caught his eyes and narrowed his own. He couldn't suppress a shiver as he stared back. Finally Lyle turned back to the front.

Coden leaned over to Jonathan. " What's their problem?" he whispered.

Jonathan shrugged. " No idea. But they kind of creep me out."

" Ditto."

Below them Mason glanced at his brother and the tiniest grin spread across their lips. Then it disappeared and they continued to listen.

-

" Whew, am I beat," Coden breathed out, toweling off his wet hair. Beside him Tyson opened his locker.

He laughed. " You shouldn't have agreed to race me then," he jeered, slipping on his shirt.

" I still kicked your ass," Coden reminded him, also donning his shirt.

It was after school the same day and the swim practice had just ended. Like their fathers Brian, Tyson, Coden, and Jonathan were on the Spencer Academy swim team, and they were also the top swimmers.

Brian and Jonathan stood by, grinning and shaking their heads as they dressed.

After they were decent they headed for the parking lot and drove in their individual vehicles to Nicky's.

Coden went up to the counter, ordered French fries and a Coke and went back to their table. Tonight all four of them were munching on fries, burgers, and soda. They were still under-aged, so they couldn't drink any alcoholic beverages.

As they laughed and joked and occasionally punched and tossed French fries at each other the thoughts of their dream slipped away and they were typical teenaged boys out for a night of fun.

Jonathan dodged a French fry just as his cell phone rang. " Time out!" he yelled as Tyson aimed another fry. He looked at the display and a frown tugged at his lips.

Coden noticed. " Sup Jon?"

" My dad." He put the phone back in his pocket.

The three boys glanced at each other. Tyson sighed. " Jonathan, you're going to have to talk to him sooner or later."

" I choose later."

Coden shook his shoulder. " Come on man; he's trying. Can't you try too?"

Jonathan shrugged. " I don't know guys. I'm still a little…shaken up I guess."

" That's understandable Jon," Brian piped in. They all looked at him, surprised at the unusual calmness in his voice. Normally he'd be balling up his fists at the mention of Pogue. " But, and this goes against my better judgment, you've got to talk to him. It's the only way you'll get past this." They could tell that he was nearly forcing the words out of his mouth. Though they seemed to have chipped away a bit at Jonathan's wall.

The Perry boy nodded faintly. " Maybe." He rubbed the back of his neck. " All this talk of my dad's made me all tense. I'm gonna go back to the school and get a couple of laps in. See you later guys." He stood up and headed for the exit. Before he left he turned back to Coden. " Keep your door unlocked 'kay?"

" Sure thing. Later."

-

Heaving a sigh Jonathan slipped into the still water, his only light coming from the full moon outside. He swam the length of the pool, relishing the feeling of the cool water gliding off his toned body.

As he swam his thoughts unraveled in his mind. He'd been through a lot in his life and he'd gotten past them all. When he was six he'd skinned his knees while riding his bike. At age ten he and the guys were having a sleepover and Brian had snuck a bottle of Vodka over and bribed them all to take a drink. Bad idea. And of course at age thirteen he'd gotten his Powers. For a while everything had been fine. Then they'd turned fourteen and his dad had hurt Brian…that had been the worst time in his life. First, he'd felt terrible when he'd seen Brian in the hospital, eyes wide and filled with horror and tears. Second he'd been embarrassed to be around his friends. It had felt awkward to be with them, even though they'd said it hadn't been his fault. And third Jonathan had been afraid of Pogue. When he would come home from school every day he would go straight to his room, avoiding his father at all times. Kate had gotten really worried, so she'd made him go see a therapist. After many long sessions he'd gotten better, only to have Pogue hit him three years later. He knew Pogue hadn't meant to and knew he was sorry, but he wasn't quite ready to forgive and forget.

And to top it all off, there was that dream. It was frustrating not knowing what it meant. It was also maddening to know that their fathers had a hunch what was going on and wouldn't let them in on it. But they didn't seem too worried about it, so Jonathan and the others weren't either.

Reaching the shallow end of the pool after his fifth lap he climbed out and shook his dripping head, scattering drops of water in all directions. He padded to the locker room and opened his locker. As he reached for his towel he paused. A strand of his hair was hanging in front of his nose and he breathed in the bitter and strange smell of chlorine. _I should take a shower_, he thought, grabbing his shampoo bottle and another towel. Shedding his shorts and placing them in the locker he headed over to the shower area. He turned on the water.

He sighed with relief as the hot water streamed over his tired body. The water seemed to melt away the tension and confusion and his mind cleared. As he scrubbed his long hair with the fruit smelling shampoo he decided that he'd go home tomorrow and talk with his father.

The shampoo cleansed his hair and washed down over his body, swirling down the drain. He twisted the tap and shut the water off, cold air instantly consuming him. He quickly wrapped his towel around his waist to stop the cold from chilling his lower half anymore then it already did.

He was halfway back to his locker when the temperature suddenly dropped. Jonathan shivered and breathed out white clouds. Thinking that maybe a window had been opened he looked around, but saw none opened. Now he was really confused.

Wanting nothing but to just be away from the coldness Jonathan picked up his pace to the locker that held his belongings.

As he extended a hand to the locker he froze suddenly. A chilling laugh rang from somewhere behind him. Spinning around he looked around wildly, but saw no one. The laugh came yet again, only it echoed all around him. The laugh was deep and taunting, toying with his mind.

Jonathan's teeth began to chatter and he struggled to speak. " H-h-hello? W-who's t-t-t-there?"

In response the laugh heightened. Then the disturbing sound turned into words. " Scared Jonathan?" it taunted, coming from all around him. It was deep and smooth, full of power. Jonathan was positive he'd heard that voice before but couldn't put his finger on it.

" Ha! Look at the way he shakes!" a second voice, equally deep and dripping with confidence, jeered.

Terrified Jonathan turned to the exit, only to see that two tall, handsome boys blocked his way. Their usual brown eyes were black as night and their faces were cold.

Jonathan's eyes grew wide with fear as they walked towards him, their black eyes melting back to deep brown. The young boy backed up a few steps, nearly frozen with terror. _No way_…he thought with alarm. _They have Powers too…impossible!_

Mason and Lyle Sanderson kept coming closer, evil grins on their smooth faces. Mason nodded at Jonathan. " So Jonathan," he sneered. Jonathan's head snapped to his, still backing up slowly. " We 'creep' you out, do we?" Lyle grinned, though it wasn't one out of joy. Or maybe it was; maybe seeing Jonathan tremor with fear brought them joy.

Jonathan couldn't answer; his fear had accelerated when he's hit the back wall. There was no more room to back up, and now he was frozen with it.

Closer and closer they came, going slow deliberately, knowing that he could not escape. Lyle smirked. " Why don't you Use Jon? It would make this situation more…exciting." They both laughed, the sound filled with wickedness.

Jonathan tried to swallow, but he found he couldn't; it felt like his throat had closed. Sweat began to form on his skin and his heart was racing and pounding against his ribcage. True fear surged through him as they closed the gap between them. Their sinister smiles faded and were replaced with ugly scowls.

Without warning Mason buried his fist in Jonathan's stomach. The young boy doubled over, a painful sound escaping his lips. The older warlocks howled with laughter and Lyle struck Jonathan in the cheek, sending him crashing to the hard floor. He groaned and tried to push himself back up. But Mason and Lyle were already on him, kicking with tremendous force at his sides, back, stomach, and legs, each kick bringing out a small cry of agony from their victim. The assault wore on, and Jonathan scrunched up in a ball to make himself a smaller target. This brought out louder laughter from the older boys and they only kicked harder. Mason then bent down and forced the weakened boy to stand, only to knee him in the gut and shove him back down. Jonathan was vaguely aware that his towel had fallen off, but didn't have much time to dwell on it. Lyle had grabbed a handful of his still wet hair and banged his forehead into the floor. A stream of blood began to pool around his head and one of the assailers turned him onto his back. Mason smirked and brought his foot down hard on his chest. Jonathan cried out and gasped at the same time and whimpered as Lyle came down and prepared to strike him in the face once more.

Mason grabbed him by the shoulder. " Stop Lyle. We need him alive and awake."

Scowling Lyle retracted his fist, but spat in Jonathan's face. The boy flinched.

Mason bent down next to his brother and brought his face close to Jonathans'. " Can you hear me?" he breathed.

Jonathan nodded.

" What?" he snapped.

Flinching away Jonathan screwed up his eyes in pain and opened his mouth. Blood leaked out, but he tried to form words anyways out of fear. The blood in his throat made his speech gargled. " G-g-g-gah," he swallowed and tried again. " Hmm…ye-ye-yes…"

They laughed again, and then grew serious. Mason glared at him. " We have a message for your family and friends. Tell them that though they might have killed out father, Chase lives on in us. We're coming for your Covenant; the whole Covenant. You, Brian, Tyson, Coden, Pogue, Reid, Tyler, and Caleb…even the women. None of you will live and you're the warning. Got it?"

Jonathan nodded and began to cry, hot tears coursing down his burning face. The taste of blood in his mouth made him gag and he choked on it, his body convulsing as he struggled to breath.

Mason smiled. " Good." He and Lyle stood up, kicked him one more time and faded away, the sound of the dying boy still in their ears.

**Please review!**


	6. At the hospital

**Chapter 6 everyone! Enjoy!**

The bar began to empty, the teens heading back to school or their homes to get some sleep before school tomorrow.

Coden looked at his watch. Eleven fifteen. Sighing he began to stand up. Brian and Tyson, in the middle of an arm wrestling contest, looked up. " Where you going Coden?" Tyson asked, face strained with effort as he tried to slam Brian's arm down.

" Home. I told Mom and Dad that I'd be back before twelve. And, quite frankly, it's not much fun watching you two arm wrestle." Grinning he left the bar and got into his blue Custom Mustang, started the engine and pulled out.

The ride was smooth, coursing down the street as effortlessly as a hot knife cutting through butter. The radio was turned up high, the car pounding with the music. Coden bobbed his head along with it and saw his cell phone on the passenger seat. He decided to check in on Jonathan. Reaching over he picked it up and dialed Jonathan's cell number. Brining it to his ear he waited, listening to the dial tone. He got Jonathan's answering machine and frowned as he hung up. Strange; he never got the machine. He shrugged it off; Jonathan was probably still in the pool. Then he quickly discarded that thought. It had been over two hours since the youngest Son had left; surely he would've been out by now? " I'll just swing by," he told himself and headed for the school.

Once there and parked he saw Jonathan's Celica still there. He was still there then. Coden went inside and down to the poolroom, looking around. There was no one in the pool, and the water was calm. So he hadn't just gotten out. Coden frowned; where could he be then? Puzzled he called out, just to be sure. " Jonathan?" He waited. Nothing. He was about to leave when his cell phone rang. Jumping slightly at the sudden noise he took it out and looked at the display. Jonathan.

Sighing with relief he opened it. " Jon where are you? I'm at the pool but you're not!" He waited for the other boy to reply; he didn't.

Coden frowned. " Jon?" As he listened, he could barely make out a sound on the other end.

" 'Ker 'oom…" It was barely a whisper and sounded garbled.

Coden frowned and listened harder. He could here shallow breathing and gargling. Instantly Coden panicked. " Jonathan what's wrong? Where are you?" he nearly screamed the words out.

A loud swallow and gasping. " 'Oker room…"

A light bulb went on. The locker room! Coden shut the phone and ran, nearly slipping. In the locker room he froze, eyes balling.

Jonathan was on his back, naked, and badly beat up on the floor. " Jonathan!" Coden cried as he ran and slid to his friend's side. On his knees Coden looked over his brother. His lip was busted and bleeding, his cheek purple. It matched his other cheek where Pogue had punched him. There was a deep gash on his forehead and blood bubbled out. Blood also trickled out of his mouth, staining his neck and the floor. His stomach was an angry red and purple, his chest and sides a deep, inflamed violaceous. Jonathan's breathing was shallow and rapid, almost like he was hyperventilating. His eyes were half shut, though Coden could see the terror and shock glistening in them and the tears that flowed over his face.

" Fuck!" he spat and whipped out his cell, dialing 911. After that he concentrated on his broken friend. He got up and grabbed a bunch of towels. Skidding back to the boy he pressed a towel to his forehead, trying desperately to stop the blood. He noticed that Jonathan was shivering, and whether it was from fear, shock, cold, or all three he covered Jonathan with the towels to protect him from the possible cold factor and to protect his dignity.

He ran his hands through his hair, at a loss for what to do. It was obvious that the boy had internal bleeding and broken bones, but Coden didn't know what to do about those. He didn't understand. Who would do something like this? Especially to Jonathan? The brunette was an A student, he hardly ever swore, and, as far as Coden knew, he had no enemies. So he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that his best friend was lying in front of him, terrified, broken and in pain.

A strange sound brought Coden back to reality and he snapped his gaze back down to the shaggy haired boy. Jonathan's mouth was moving like a fish out of water, blood flowing out of his mouth. His throat made gargling noises and Coden realized that he was trying to say something.

Coden brought his face closer and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. " Shh, Jonathan, shh. Don't say anything." He tried to sound reassuring and failed miserably. His voice shook and broke at the end.

Jonathan didn't listen. He still tried to make words out of the gurgling. Coden winced; he wished Jonathan wouldn't try and talk. It sounded terrible. So he put his hand on Jonathan's head lightly, just heavy enough for the hurt boy to know it was there. " No Jon, stop. Whatever it is, it can wait." The sound of sirens wailing came to his ears and he forced a smile onto his worried face. " See? The ambulance it coming man. Just hold on; everything will be okay."

Jonathan slowly turned his head to Coden and forced a faint smile of his own. It didn't hide the clear fear that shined in his eyes.

-

" What…Well when…Jesus Christ!" Pogue grabbed at his hair; gripping the phone so tight he thought he'd crush it into pieces.

The phone had rung at one in the morning and a grumpy Pogue had answered only to jump up with panic. Tyler had been on the other end, nearly slurring his words as he told Pogue that his son was in the hospital. Coden had called Tyler, saying that he was at the hospital with Jonathan.

Saying he'd be right over he hung up and shoved his shoes on. Kate was already in the Honda Civic, honking the horn impatiently. She's gathered from the bits of conversation she'd heard that something had happened to her son and had rushed right out, dressed only ins her skimpy pajamas and a bathrobe. Pogue had only pajama pants on.

The drive to the hospital seemed to drag on, Pogue jamming on the gas and Using to not get caught by the police.

Finally they arrived and ran in, finding the rest of the Covenant families in the waiting room, faces etched with worry. Brian and Coden sat in the chairs, Brian wringing his hands and Coden bouncing his knee in anxiety. Tyson was leaning against the wall, chewing on his thumb.

Caleb, Reid, and Tyler were all standing, too anxious to sit. Sarah, Grace, and Taylor were sitting, but jumped up when Pogue and Kate ran in. The women went to her as she began to cry.

The men went to Pogue and comforted him, telling him that Jonathan would be okay.

Pogue shook his head. " If anything goes wrong…I'll never forgive myself."

Caleb shook his shoulder. " Hey, it's not your fault. I'm sure Jonathan's going to be fine."

" How is he?"

" We don't know yet. But Coden…" Tyler looked over at his son. Along with the leg bouncing, Coden looked awful. His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were shinny with tears. Tyler looked back. " Coden told us how he'd found Jonathan. He didn't look too good Pogue."

Just then the doctor, Alan Hawkins, made his way over. He was a young man with short, brown hair and worm eyes. He smiled reassuringly at the large group. " Are all of you here for Jonathan Perry?"

They all nodded.

" Wow, okay." He flipped through some pages on his clipboard. " Well, I'll tell you now; he's going to be fine."

Everyone breathed out with relief. Dr. Hawkins continued. " He's suffered two broken ribs, internal bleeding, and he had to get seven stitches in his forehead. Besides that he's got a lot of cuts and bruises and is in a great deal of pain. We've given him some sedatives, so he's stable."

Kate clasped her hands together. " Can we see him?" she asked hopefully.

" Of course; follow me."

Pogue and Kate followed the young doctor to the third floor and down the hallway. They stopped near the end of the hall and went in. Dr. Hawkins waited outside, closing the door softly.

The room was dim, the only sound coming from various machines, beeping away. The other sound was Jonathan's slow, even breathing. As the parents got closer they could see that his eyes were closed and he had breathing tubes running in his nose. Kate sat down in the chair beside the bed, brushing some of his hair back. A soft sob broke from her mouth and Pogue put his hands on her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

" W-who would d-do something like this?" she asked, her eyes locked on her son's bruised face.

" I don't know. But we'll worry about it later babe."

A low moan escaped Jonathan's lips and his eyes fluttered open. Pogue and Kate smiled as their son looked at them. Jonathan smiled too, and then winced as the action split his bottom lip open again. Blood shone in the dim light.

Kate rummaged in her robe pocket and produced a tissue. She gently dabbed at his lip and he closed his eyes in thanks. She sniffed. " How are you feeling sweetie?"

Jonathan's eyes began to water and shone with fear. But Kate and Pogue mistook the shinning of his eyes as pain. Pogue frowned. " I'll get the doctor." He half turned when Jonathan shook his head.

Kate grabbed her husband's hand. " Wait Pogue."

Pogue turned back. Jonathan swallowed and winced. His throat was as dry as a desert. Still he attempted to speak. " Th-th-the-they," he stammered, swallowing again. Kate and Pogue looked on, worry in their eyes. Jonathan tried again. " Th-they…a-a-are…'ike…us."

Pogue looked at Kate, then back at his son. " What are you talking about Jonathan?"

Jonathan shook his head; it hurt too much to talk. Instead he pointed to the small table in the room. On it was a pad of paper and a pen. Understanding Pogue went over, got them and handed them to Jonathan. Jonathan began to scribble words on it. After a few seconds he gave the pad to his father. Pogue read it and his face paled.

_The new kids, Mason and Lyle Sanderson, are like us. Chase is their father. They said that they're going to come after us and kill us. All of us. I was the warning._

Pogue swallowed and his eyes widened. Without a word he left the room, note in hand. Kate started after him. " Pogue!"

Pogue flew down the stairs and back to the lobby where everyone else was. They all looked up as he ran in.

Caleb rushed over. " Pogue? What is it? Jonathan?"

Pogue shook his head. " No, he's fine. But he wrote this." He handed Caleb and paper. Caleb read it and his eyes grew wide. He handed it to Reid and Tyler, who paled as well.

The wives read it over their shoulders and gasped. Taylor grabbed onto Tyler's arm. He hugged her close, kissing her cheek. " Shh, it's going to be fine." He looked Caleb. " What do we do Caleb?"

" Nothing here. Let's meet at the Colony house tonight." He put his arm around Sarah's waist. " Let's get everyone else home first."

Pogue shook his head. " No. I'm staying here. I'm not leaving Jonathan here alone with those two out there."

Caleb sighed. " Pogue, if what Jonathan wrote is true, then they won't be back for him. He's safe here." They glared at each other, and then Pogue sighed and nodded.

The leader nodded. " Alright. Let's get home."

" Hang on!"

The adults turned to see Tyson glaring at them, arms crossed over his chest. " I think we deserve to know what's going on." The other two nodded.

The fathers looked at each other, seeming to be discussing the matter in their heads, which they very well could've been. Finally Caleb nodded. " Fine. You three will come tonight too."

This time Brian stood up. " No. We shouldn't go."

Tyson gawked at him. " What? Don't you wanna know what's going on?"

" Duh Tyse. But if there's something out there then we shouldn't leave our moms alone. If we stay home, they'll be protected. " Sarah looked at her son lovingly and he smiled. " We can be told after."

Tyson frowned but Coden nodded. " It makes sense."

The fathers nodded. " Okay. We'll go and be back as soon as possible." Caleb turned to Pogue. " You should go tell Kate what's going on." Pogue nodded and headed back up.

Coden stood up. " Dad?"

Tyler turned. " Yeah?"

" Do we have to go now? I wanna check in on Jon."

Tyler sighed. " It's best if we go now. He'll be fine. You can come back tomorrow."

Disappointed Coden nodded. " Okay." He and the other two boys exited with their parents, soon followed by Pogue and Kate.

**Please review!**


	7. Discussion

**Here's chapter 7...so soon after chapter 6 was put up. Sorry it's short, but that's how I wanted this chapter; short and sweet. Enjoy.**

The fire flickered in the gloom, casting shadows around the room and on the faces of the grave men. They sat in their appointed chairs as they had done when they were younger.

When they'd all arrived they'd gotten straight to business. They discussed possible motives for why these boys would want to kill them and came back with the only obvious one; Chase had hated them, so he got his sons to do his work for him.

Then another question rose; how had the sons known to go after the Covenant? Chase had died before they'd been born.

" He probably told the woman to do it," Pogue was saying.

" That doesn't make sense," Tyler remarked. " Why would a mother want her sons to kill?"

" A fucked up one?" Reid suggested. He received glares from all three men.

" He most likely told her about us, maybe even made some stuff up," Caleb said. It made sense. " Hell, maybe he threatened her. She obviously knew about the Covenant; she was probably scared stiff too."

The others murmured in agreement.

Tyler sighed. " So what do we do now?"

Caleb ran his hands through his hair. " I don't know. Normally I'd say we go find 'em, but they're just kids…"

Reid stood up. " Bullshit! They nearly killed Jonathan! ' Kids' don't do that! Murderers do!"

Pogue stood up too. " Besides, they can't be the same ages as our sons. They've got to be twenty at least."

Caleb seemed to be struggling with himself. " Still…"

" No 'still' Caleb!" Reid turned to Tyler. " Ty?"

Tyler looked down. " I don't know Reid. We shouldn't go out hunting them down…it could be dangerous."

" Dangerous? Come on! There are two of them and four of us! We're older too! What's dangerous about it?"

" What's dangerous is that they've Used more then all of us!" Tyler was standing too now, fists clenched. " And they're Chase's sons! We have to expect anything!"

" Tyler's right," Caleb said, standing up. " We need to know more about what we're up against. So-"

" Up against? They're kids!" Reid sputtered, disbelief in his blue eyes.

Tyler walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. " Reid, please. Do it for Grace and Tyson. Just bare with us."

Reid breathed deeply through his nose, finally calming down. " Fine. But the second we know whatever it is we need to know, I'm going after them."

Tyler patted his shoulder.

Reid shook him off. " Yeah, yeah, okay. Get off me Baby Boy." He playfully punched Tyler's shoulder and followed Tyler up the stairs.

Caleb followed more slowly with Pogue, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. " I know this is hard for you Pogue, not going after them for what they did."

" Harder then you can understand."

Caleb paused, hesitant about what he was about to say. " Actually, I understand quite well Pogue." There was pain in his voice and a hint of bitterness.

Pogue looked at him, head cocked. " What do you mean?"

" When your son gets hurt by someone, and you want to hurt the person but you fight not to, for whatever reason you've got." He looked deep into Pogue's eyes.

He'd understood. " Caleb, that…that was an accident. And you know it." There was defiance in his voice, as if he were daring Caleb to tell him that what he'd done to Brian was intentional.

That wasn't Caleb's intention. " I know. But I'm just saying. I know how you feel. Don't worry; when the time comes, we'll get them. Promise."

**Please review!**


	8. First Sign

**Chapter 8 is up! Woot! Enjoy!**

The sun shone through the window, making the room slightly more cheerful. Outside the window a bird chirped; inside a machine beeped.

Coden sat in the chair beside Jonathan's bed; hands clasped together, his mouth resting against them, deep in thought. Early morning the day before Tyler had told him what they'd talked about. How they two new boys, Mason and Lyle, were Chase's sons and that they'd hurt Jonathan as a warning. Of course he'd wanted to go after them with Tyson and Brian, and of course Tyler had said no. Coden and he had gotten into an argument and they'd only calmed down after Taylor had intervened. After thinking about it more, Coden now saw that it was dangerous to go after Mason and Lyle, and that they'd just have to wait. But man oh man did he want to hunt them down and…

" Coden?"

He jumped, startled back to the present and looked for the source of the sound.

Jonathan gazed up at him, concern in his eyes. The youngest warlock had been in the hospital since Thursday, and for those two days he'd been recovering. He didn't need those breathing tubes anymore and he was able to talk just fine. The swelling of his bottom lip had gone down and his cuts and bruises were healing nicely. The bruise given by Pogue had started to fade, while the other was still as prominent as before. Dr. Hawkins had told them that his ribs were starting to heal and would be able to go back to the swim team in about a month or so.

Coden shook his head to clear it. " Yeah?"

" You okay?"

" Sure, yeah. Why?"

" You're gripping your hands so tightly that your nails are digging into your knuckles."

Unclasping his hands he looked at them. Sure enough there were wet red grooves on both of his hands and his nails were red. Hastily he grabbed some tissues and dabbed at them. He smiled sheepishly. " Oops," he said.

Jonathan didn't smile. " Coden, if any of us should be nervous, it should be me. I mean, I know my dad told me that because they already got to me, I'd be safe. I don't buy it. Right now, besides our mothers, I'm the most vulnerable one."

Coden couldn't disagree; Jonathan was in the hospital, hurt and still a bit weak. He'd stand no chance if they decided to attack him again.

Jonathan seemed to read Coden's mind. " I'll take you silence as an agreement." Coden was about to protest when he noticed that Jonathan had cracked a smile. " Don't sweat it man; as soon as I'm out of here I'm gonna help you take down those sons of a bitch."

Coden let out a laugh; he couldn't help it. Jonathan furrowed his brow. " What's so funny?"

" It's just that, hearing you swear…it's s-so hilarious!" he breathed out between laughs.

" Yeah, yeah. Haha." He reached over and gently slugged the Simms boy on the arm.

Coden retaliated by ruffling his shaggy hair.

It was nice having Jonathan talking again. Coden had missed talking to his best friend and had silently blamed himself for what had happened. If he'd come sooner; if he'd gone with him…He'd kept this to himself though.

Jonathan swatted him away. " So what have you got planned for today Coden?" he asked in a casual manner.

Coden shrugged. " I dunno. Hang out with the guys I guess."

Disappointment developed on his face. " Oh, okay."

Coden laughed and pushed on Jonathan's shoulder. " But I could get them to come here."

Jonathan smiled. " Thanks. It gets boring in here after a while."

" I'll bet."

There was a knock at the door and they looked over to see Dr. Hawkins outside. Coden went to answer it and stepped outside.

" Sorry to bother you Mr. Simms. But-"

" Hey, that's my dad. Call me Coden."

He laughed. " Okay. Coden I just wanted to let you know that Jonathan can go home anytime now. I tried reaching his parents, but there doesn't seem to be anyone home."

" Wow that's great!" Coden couldn't help himself from yelling it. He missed hanging out with Jonathan, even though it had only been two days.

" I can leave?" the excited voice came the room. Coden grinned and shook his head.

Dr. Hawkins chuckled. " Someone's sure happy," he commented. He turned to the door and raised his voice. " Yes you can Jonathan!"

There was a loud ' woohoo' and the sound of rapid movement. Then, " Coden, have you got any extra clothes?"

Coden chuckled. " Yeah. Give me a sec." He turned to the doctor, grinned and shrugged and headed for his car. Dr. Hawkins just shook his head, smiled and left.

-

" Wow does it feel awesome to be out of there!" Jonathan shouted, opening the window.

Coden shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. " You think you had it rough? My dad was in that hospital more then all our fathers combined!"

Jonathan just laughed, cranking up the stereo and drumming his fingers on the dashboard to the beat. He was in an extremely good mood. After two days of lying in bed he finally got to leave. It felt nice to be able to stretch his legs, yell out, and to smell something other than the sterilized smell of the hospital. Plus, it was Saturday; no school. Nothing could dampen his spirits today, not even Mason and Lyle. He'd been taken by surprise that night; when they met again, he'd kick some ass.

Singing along to the song he looked out the window, catching a glimpse of himself in the review mirror. His face was still bruised, though Pogue's was lighter than Lyle's. His lip was nearly healed and he was getting used to the seven stitches in his head. Beneath his clothes (that Coden had kept in his Mustang just in case of times like these) those bruises were healing too, though his ribs still ached. But he'd been given painkillers, along with a strict warning not to over do himself for a while until his ribs healed, so he was happy.

The song ended and another came on and soon Jonathan was singing to that too, nudging Coden's arm, signaling that the older boy should join in. Singing was fun, but it was even better with friends. Soon they were both singing along, wide grins on their faces as the sun beamed down on their way to Coden's house where Brian and Tyson were supposed to meet them for an afternoon of video games, junk food, and fun. In fact, all of their parents were getting together at the Simms' house, though the men would be at the kitchen table playing poker and the women would be watching some chick-flick in the first floor living room. The young Sons would get the second floor to themselves.

Sure enough Pogue's Honda Civic, Reid's Chevrolet, and Caleb's Mustang along with Tyler's Hummer were there. Coden had to park on the street as the other vehicles took up the whole driveway.

The two boys went in, hung their jackets on the coat rack and went into the kitchen to grab some drinks. Caleb, Pogue, Reid, and Tyler were already at the table, chips laid out and cards in hand, laughing and drinking beer.

Tyler swallowed the beer in his mouth and smiled at his son as they went to the fridge. " Hey Coden. The others are already up there. Be quick so they won't break anything okay?"

Coden laughed. " Okay." He bent down and grabbed two Root Beers, handing one to Jonathan. He paused, head cocked. " Hey, did Brian and Tyse already grab drinks?"

The fathers laughed. Caleb sucked in air. " Oh yeah. As soon as we got here those two raided the fridge and cupboard. They've got enough food up there for an army!"

Coden shook his head. " Trust those two to take food from someone else's house." Chuckling he and Jonathan left the room.

Pogue quickly excused himself for a moment and caught up to Jonathan, grabbing his arm. " Son, could I have a word?"

He nodded. " Sure Dad." He nodded to Coden, who's paused. " Just a sec man." Coden nodded and headed up.

Jonathan turned back to Pogue. " Yeah?"

Pogue sighed. " Jonathan, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for what I did and said to you Monday. I wasn't thinking and there's no excuse for how I acted. I'm sorry. And then all this shit with Chase-"

" Whoa, whoa, whoa Dad!" Jonathan held up his hands. " Dad, it's okay. I would've said that at the hospital but there was that little roadblock with me not being able to talk. " He smiled and hugged his father in a big bear hug.

Pogue smiled and hugged his son back, feeling a weight lifting from his heart. He was back in his son's good graces. As he patted Jonathan's back he glanced up and the smile melted from his face. Brian leaned against the railing, glaring down at him, his eyes burning with hate, his mouth pulled down in an angry scowl. Disapproval for Jonathan's forgiveness was clear on his face. Without changing his expression he turned away and sat beside Tyson on the couch.

Jonathan pulled away, smiling at his dad. Pogue ruffling his hair and Jonathan took off, joining his friends upstairs.

Pogue sighed. Now if only he could get back into Brian's good graces. Shaking his head he went back to the guys and picked up his cards.

-

" Bam! Game over my friends," Tyson gloated, throwing down his game controller and standing up, clasping his hands above his head in triumph. " Once again Tyson Joseph Garwin reigns champion!"

The other boys groaned and set down their controllers too. Coden looked at Brian. " What did I say? Hmm? Don't let the ego-maniac win!" He hit the boy on the shoulder.

Jonathan backed him up. " And you were our last chance to keep Sir Cocky over there from exploding with egoness!" He too smacked Brian.

Brian stood up. " Hey, hey! Quit it! It's not my fault! My controller froze!"

Tyson stopped his gloating to throw an arm around his best friend's shoulders. " Oh, stop being a poor sport Danvers and fess up; I'm just superior and you're not."

Brian pushed him off. " No way."

" Yes way."

" Wanna make me?"

" With pleasure!" The blonde lunged at the brunette, crashing to the floor. They rolled around and knocked a floor lamp over.

A voice called up from below. " You boys better not break anything!"

" We're not Mom!" Coden yelled back. He went over to the rolling boys and grabbed Brian's shirt, tugging at him. " Okay you two, stop it. Mom's not kidding when she says we'd better not break anything. She gets real creepy when that happens."

Faking horrified expressions Tyson and Brian jumped up. They all laughed.

Coden clapped his hands. " Okay, okay! Enough video games! Let's go shoot some pool!"

Without a word Tyson and Brian tore down the stairs, into the living room and down into the basement. Coden sighed and followed.

Jonathan laughed and made his way to the stairs when something outside the window caught his eye. Curious he went over to it and looked out. In the fading light he could see something written in the snow in…blood? He swallowed fearfully as he read the large words; _WATCH YOUR BACK JOHNNY BOY. _Jonathan's breathing deepened, his eyes wide.

" Jonathan!"

Jonathan closed his eyes and opened them, looking out the window again. The message was gone, the snow no longer blood red, but it's usual snow-white. He blinked. Had it been real? His eyes hardened. Yup. It had been.

" Jonathan!"

" Coming!" With one last glance out the huge window he joined his friends, though the feeling of being watched never left him. Not for a second. It had been a sign. A sign that _they_ were going to be watching the Covenant; the first sign.

**Please review!**


	9. Second Sign

**OMG guys I am SO sorry that it took me like 4ever to update! Second semester started a while ago and my schedual is brutal! French, history, english, and math! Yikes! I've been trying my best to write more, but I've also been in a slump...writers block is my downfall! But I finished chapter 9 and will get chapter 10 up asap. Promise! Enjoy this chapter and please review!**

The sun peeked in through the curtains, signaling the start of a new day. Luckily for the drunken boys it was Saturday. A day to sober up and get rid of their massive headaches.

After multiple games of pool and even more drinks, they'd all begun getting tired, having hysterical laughing fits and stumbling all over the basement. One by one they'd all fallen in a drunken sleep, either on the couches, the pool table, or just on the floor. An hour or so later Tyler had gone down to check on the boys, having gotten a bit worried when the noise level had diminished.

When he'd come upon the scene of sprawled out boys, he couldn't help but chuckle and go back upstairs, only to return with the rest of the fathers. After they'd laughed for a few minutes, not caring to lower their voices since their sons were too drunk to notice an atomic bomb going off next door, each father picked up his son and carried each home, and in Tyler's case, up to Coden's room.

" Tyler," Taylor started, looking at her husband. " Will you go wake up our son?"

Tyler chuckled and headed upstairs. Opening his son's door he strided over to the window and opened the curtains, allowing the sun to fill the room with all its' light. Tyler went to the bed and shook the lump. A low groan sounded.

Tyler continued shaking. " Come on Sleeping Beauty, it's well passed noon and if you don't get up soon your mother is going to come up here. Now we don't want that, do we?"

Coden stirred, groaned, and lay still.

Growing impatient, Tyler grabbed the covers and threw them off. Coden complained. " Daaaad…"

" I know you feel like shit right now buddy. Trust me; I've been there. But you can't sleep through the day. Your mother has stuff downstairs to make you feel better. Now get up." Without another word Tyler left the room.

Coden groaned again and half sat up. He half-opened his eyes, and regretted it right away. The room spun and his head pounded. He held his head in his hands and slowly got up, shutting his eyes tightly, shutting out the bright sun. Blindly he felt his way to his bathroom and fumbled for the cold-water tap. Finding it he turned it on, filled his cupped hands with it and splashed his face. Feeling a bit better he headed downstairs, still blindly.

Taylor looked up from the newspaper she was reading as Coden walked in. " Ahh, there he is." She frowned when she saw that his eyes were closed. " Oh Coden stop this nonsense and open your eyes. You'll hurt yourself."

Coden mumbled something incoherent, found a chair, sat down, and laid his head on the table.

Tyler looked at his wife, smiling. " Come on Tay. When me and the guys used to get drunk, I-"

" _Used_ to?" Taylor interrupted. " Ha! You boys _still_ get drunk!"

" Yeah yeah okay. That's not the point. Point is, I was always walking around with my eyes shut. And I turned out fine!"

Taylor gave him the once-over, looking skeptical. " Yeah, right." She smiled and laughed, and soon Tyler joined in, kissing the top of her head.

Coden moaned. " Ah guys! Could you please just keep quiet?"

Taylor smiled sympathetically and kissed his head. " Sorry love. Here." She got up, put a couple of pills in her hand and got a glass of water. " Take these. And let this be a lesson to you."

Frowning Coden took the pills.

-

" Jonathan! Jonathan get out of that bed!" Kate yelled up the stairs.

Jonathan groaned and got out of bed. Boy did his head hurt! _I shouldn't have had that last beer, _he thought as he threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He descended the stairs slowly; each time his foot hit the step he winced.

Entering the kitchen he saw Kate, but no Pogue. " Mom, where's Dad?" he asked, sitting down.

Kate walked over with a plate of food in one hand. " Out with Caleb. Here," she added, setting the plate down in front of him; bacon and eggs.

At once Jonathan's stomach churned and he had to concentrate so that whatever was still in his stomach didn't come up. " Mom, please, no breakfast. Not hungry. " He pushed the plate away.

Kate seemed to understand. " Oh right. Sorry." Instead she placed a glass of water and two pills in front of him. " Take those. You'll feel better soon."

Jonathan swallowed them gratefully. He looked at Kate. " Can I go back to bed now?" he asked hopefully.

" No. Now you can help me with the dished."

" But Mom!"

" No 'buts'. Let this be a lesson to you. I hope your friends are going through what you are. They could all use a lesson."

-

" Go get some fresh air."

" Don't wanna."

" Tyson, outside. Now."

" Fuck off."

" Tyson Joseph Garwin! Get up now!" Grace took off her son's comforter and threw it on the floor. " And do not take that tone with me." She crossed her arms, waiting for the blonde to get up. He only rolled over and snuggled deeper into the mattress.

" Unbelievable," Grace muttered as she left the room.

Tyson smiled, thinking he'd won and get to lounge in bed for the rest of the day. He needed to get rid of this migraine. Why did he always have to drink the most? _Next time I'll spike Jon's drink, _he thought. _I'd like to see him really drunk-_

His thoughts were interrupted as cold water was splashed all over his body. With a startled yelp he was up and glancing around, looking for the source of the rude awakening. His eyes rested on his mother, who was holding a glass that was now empty.

Tyson glared at her. " What the hell?"

Grace smirked. " Next time I advise you get up when I tell you to. Outside." With that she left.

Fuming with annoyance, Tyson pulled on some clothes, exited the mansion, and drove to Brian's.

-

Unlike the others, Brian was up, dressed, and waiting. He knew Tyson would come here; he always did.

Sarah had been a bit worried when Brian had gotten up without her having to go get him. Brian wasn't worried; he's Used to make sure he didn't get a hangover in the morning. Of course he hadn't told Sarah this; she'd be furious.

" Probably because I'm used to it," he'd told Sarah.

Now he sat in the living room, waiting for Tyson. It was funny how things played out. Ever since they were ten years old, whenever something happened at the Garwin's, the blonde would always come running over to the Danvers' place. It has always been that way, and, as the doorbell rang, it didn't seem like that was going to change.

Brian answered the door and saw a grim faced Tyson. Brian took a step back, letting the older boy in. " Whoa, what's up with you Tyse?" he asked, following the blonde up to his room. Tyson had a habit of walking into the Danvers' mansion and marching about it like it was his own house.

Tyson collapsed on Brian's bed, crossing his arms over his chest. Brian shut the door and sat down beside his friend, eyeing him and waiting for a reply.

After a few minutes of silence, the blonde sighed. " I dunno. Mom was a bitch this morning is all."

Brian raised an eyebrow. Grace? A bitch? " What did she do?"

" Threw a glass of water on me."

The brunette frowned, skeptical. " That hardly seems worthy of being called a bitch Tyson."

A sigh. " Yeah, I know." He rolled over on his side, propping his head up on his hand. " I'm just grumpy I guess. Drunken me is a blast. Sobering-up me is a pain in the ass."

" You got that right." Brian grinned. He changed the subject. " Come on; let's get out of here."

" Agreed. Where?"

" Meh. Dunno. Let's call the others up."

" Sure thing."

-

The bell rang and students piled into their classes, ready to start a new school week. Monday, everyone's hated day. What was worse was starting it off with math.

So it was with the Sons. They took their seats, Brian with Tyson, and Coden with Jonathan. Everything was as it should; the class half empty, the students chatting, and Mr. Pekoe late. But what _was_ unexpected was the fact that Mason and Lyle Sanderson, Chase's children, were also present. This surprised the Sons. When their fathers had figured out that Chase was one of them, he'd stopped coming to school. Obviously his children didn't think they had to stop coming.

They took their regular seats, right in front of Coden and Jonathan, but not before shooting the boys a smug stare and winking at the Perry boy. Jonathan shuddered, his mending wounds beginning to hurt just by being in their presence. He shrunk away from them, fear running through his veins. It was bad enough, having been beat up by them, having nightmares each night. But now, actually having to be in the same room…right behind them…

No. It was too much. Grabbing his book bag he quickly got up and descended the steps, ignoring his friends' questioning looks. Jonathan went right up to Mr. Pekoe, whispered something about not feeling well, and left.

After class had ended Coden, Brian, and Tyson quickly exited the class, glancing quickly at the Sanderson brothers. They acted normal, but their eyes held secret venom for the Sons.

They only had five minutes to find Jonathan, so they split up. They knew why he had left. No one could blame him. Now they just wanted to find their brother.

Tyson stayed on the main floor while the other two took different floors. The blonde scanned the halls, looked in all the classrooms, and the bathrooms. Nothing. _Probably on another floor_, he thought. He looked at his watch. Three minutes. Meh. Might as well head to class. Maybe the others had found the youngest.

Making his way to gym he passed a group of senior girls. He couldn't help but stare. They were so hot! Long legs, curvy bodies, and big chests…he kept on walking. Yeah, right. Like he'd ever have a chance with them. Not even all the Garwin genes in the universe could help him land a senior

Just as he neared the end of the hall, a hand gently squeezed his shoulder. Startled and a bit annoyed he spun around; ready to snap at the person who had touched him, and stopped short when he realized just who that someone was. Samantha Currie, a senior. And a very sexy senior at that. Tall, curvy, big chested, long, wavy brown hair, full lips… Tyson swallowed. " H-hey, Samantha." _Real smooth Garwin_, he scolded himself.

She smiled seductively, tossing her hair back. " Hey Tyson. Wow, you've grown over the summer." She squeezed his arm, feeling his muscles, which really weren't all that different. But he didn't care.

" Uh, yeah. Been pumping a lot of iron lately," he lied.

Samantha giggled. " I can tell." She fingered his hair. " And your hair…has it always been so…silky?"

Tyson couldn't answer. His legs felt like jelly, his throat too dry. He couldn't believe it. It was too good to be true. Samantha Currie was the hottest, most popular girl at Spencer! And she was flirting with him! Wait 'til Reid heard about this!

As she kept flirting, Tyson got more and more into it, and became more of his usual self. Again, he swallowed. " So, Samantha. How about you and me hook up later? My treat." He grinned.

Samantha looked at him, and suddenly she looked lost, confused, a far off look in her green eyes. She blinked and shook her head. Then she glared at Tyson with a look of …disgust? " What?" Her voice was full of venom.

Taken aback by the sudden change in tone, Tyson repeated himself. " Do you want to hook up later?"

" Excuse me? You and me? On a date?" When Tyson nodded she laughed. " As if! Not on your life Garwin!"

Suddenly laughter filled his ears and Tyson realized for the first time that a crowd had gathered. Seeing a popular senior flirt with a younger student was huge; but seeing him shot down by a senior was even better. The laughing continued filling the hall with its madness.

His face burning with embarrassment Tyson looked around, and saw Mason and Lyle among the crowd, laughing as well. Tyson stared at them, rage burning up. " Sons of a bitch-" Before he could take a step forward to let his anger out of his shaking body, another hand clamped on his shoulder and pulled him back, an arm grabbing him around the waist.

" Tyson no! Don't make it worse!" Brian growled, dragging the enraged teen away. It wasn't easy; the blonde put up a fight the whole way outside. The Garwin boy sure could get riled up when something didn't go his way. But Brian held strong.

Finally the two boys stumbled outside and Brian let go of the blonde.

" What the fuck Tyson?" Brian shouted at the boy. " What was all that about?"

Tyson didn't answer. He concentrated on controlling his heavy breathing. He looked at the younger boy. " Those…bastards…did…that," he said between breaths.

Brian frowned. " What? Did what Tyse?"

" Something to that whore!" he screamed.

Brian advanced towards the angry boy and placed his hands on his shoulders. " Calm down man. What did they do to her?"

Tyson shook him off. " I don't know! A spell or something!"

" What happened exactly?"

Tyson looked away. " Don't wanna talk about it."

" Tyson."

" I said I don't wanna talk about it!" Tyson spun around and shoved passed Brian. He stormed to his convertible and drove away from Spencer.

Swearing Brian went back inside the school, only to jump back when he nearly walked into Jonathan.

" Damnit Jon! Where the hell were you?"

Jonathan didn't flinch at the harsh words. " Where'd Tyson go?"

Was the kid deaf? Brian controlled his growing impatience and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, much like his father. " He left. Something happened. He didn't tell me the whole thing."

" Mason and Lyle put a hex on Samantha Currie so she'd flirt with Tyson, then lifted it so he'd get humiliated."

Brian stared at him. " How…how did you know that?"

" I saw." A pause. " And I also saw it coming."

The Danvers boy stared open mouthed. " You saw it coming? How?"

" It's a warning, or a sign. For us. The whole Covenant."

" What are you talking about? A sign?"

" I got one too. Friday. Though it was nothing like this."

" You mean…like, when they…you know," Brian trailed off, not wanting to voice the sentence that he wanted to ask.

Jonathan seemed to know what he meant. " When they beat me up." He flinched slightly at the memory. " No. It wasn't anything like that. Just a message in the snow, telling me to watch my back. That was the first sign, and this was the second."

Brian considered what the younger boy was telling him. Mason and Lyle sending each Son a sign, a sign to…what? " A sign for what?"

" To let us know that they're watching us, and that they'll be making their move to destroy us all."

Brian couldn't help staring at Jonathan. Sometimes the Perry boy seemed so out of it, so lost…yet here he was, the only one on top of things.

" So, Coden and I…are next." It wasn't a question. He knew it.

Jonathan nodded.

The two remaining Sons would now need to be on the lookout for odd occurrences. They were next. The second sign had been drawn.

**Please review!**


	10. Third Sign

**Okay here's the tenth chapter! I've started chapter 11, and I hope to update soon. But again, there's homework, so it may take a while. But just to reassure you guys, I intend on finishing this story. So don't worry about it. It'll get finished. So enjoy and pretty please review! I love them!**

School ended Wednesday and still Tyson refused to attend. He'd never been good with embarrassment, not even when he was younger. His face still went tomato red whenever the incident was brought up.

Things were getting serious now. Jonathan had told Pogue what he knew, and Pogue had passed it along. Now the whole Covenant knew what Chase's sons were up to, and they were all on the lookout for trouble, especially since they'd concluded that each sign escalated with each boy. Who knew how far Mason and Lyle would go to warn them? They had suspicions, and were taking no chances. As of tomorrow, none of the Sons would be attending school. Not while _they_ were there.

It had also been decided that it would be better if all four families stick together. And when Caleb had said, 'stick together', he hadn't been kidding. Until they could deal with Mason and Lyle, the families would stay at one house, and one house only. Caleb's house was the biggest, so it was decided that they'd stay there. The adults hadn't minded at all. It was the youngest Sons who made a scene about it.

" That is so unfair!" Tyson shouted when the idea had been proposed. " We don't need to be protected!"

Brian backed him up. " Yeah! We can take care of ourselves!"

Coden and Jonathan had also thrown in some input, but to no avail. They were staying at the Danvers', and that was that.

Gloomily the boys packed up some of their belongings, having been given permission to get more necessities when needed from their individual homes, and drove over to the estate.

Now Brian, Tyson, Coden, and Jonathan sat in Brian's room, watching movies and sipping at sodas. None were really paying attention to the movie that was playing, even though it was one of their favorite horrors; _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. They were all still pretty ticked off over this arrangement.

Halfway though the movie Tyson groaned. " Seriously how many times can we watch this?"

" Come on Tyse; a group of teens getting hacked up by a guy with a leather face? What's not to like?" Coden answered, turning the volume up.

Brian chuckled, and then prodded Jonathan, who wasn't looking at the screen but reading a book, in the side with his foot. " Come on Jon; get your nose out of that book and watch!"

Jonathan shook his head.

Tyson smirked. " Oh, come now Jon, don't tell us you're scared!"

The shaggy-haired brunette looked up, frowning. " No! I'm just tired of it, like Tyson said." He paused and lowered his voice. " Plus, if I watch it too many times, I have nightmares."

The other three burst out laughing, much to Jonathan's disappointment. " Guys, cut it out! Come on! You'd be scared too if you were being chased by Leather Face through a collapsing barn in your underwear!" His brothers only laughed harder, and Jonathan grabbed a pillow and slugged Brian, who was closest, in the head.

The Danvers boy started, having been caught off guard and, without a word, took his pillow and his Jonathan back. Thus, the age-old pillow fight began.

-

Morning came and, with it, the awakening of the second youngest Son. His alarm rung at 8:00 am sharp, and he jumped up to shut it off before it woke anyone else. His friends and their parents were right down the hall and he didn't want any of them awake. Their parents, as protective and slightly paranoid as they are, made the " buddy-system" rule; they were required to have at least one other boy with them when leaving the mansion. Well, that wasn't going to fly. Teenage boys, having to use the buddy system? No way. Coden wasn't going to use it, and he wanted to get his watch he'd gotten for his thirteenth birthday from Tyler. He had taken it off the other day and forgotten it.

Quickly but quietly he got dressed-a simple white T-shirt and jeans-and tip-toed down the flight of stairs, eased open the front door, and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.

The engine of his Mustang roared to life and he pulled out, popping in a Silverstein CD and cranking the volume high. Finally! Freedom! No nagging parents, no crazy friends, just Coden and his Mustang, cruising along the roads.

Before long the brunette turned onto his street and pulled into the driveway. Killing the engine he got out, unlocked the front door and ran up to his room.

Now, where had he left it? Groaning Coden rummaged around, looking on his dresser, his bedside table, his wall unit, and packsack. He finally located it in his bathroom beside the sink. Smiling he put the watch on his wrist. " I need to take better care of you," he told it, patting the glass fondly. While admiring it he caught a glance of the time. 8: 26. Mental check. What time did his family usually wake up at? Coden thought, and then remembered. Usually around nine. So he had around half an hour to get back without getting caught, and the last thing he wanted was his parents to say how 'disappointed they were in him'. He hated that!

Thumping down the stairs Coden opened and closed the door, looking it and turned around. He stopped dead in his tracks. " The fuck…?" was the only thing he voiced, eyes wide.

His car, his Shelby and West Coast Custom Mustang, his prized possession, was in ruins. The windows were smashed, the tires were slashed, the headlights were bashed in, and the paint was scratched all over.

Coden gawked; jaw slacked open as he numbly started towards his baby. Ruined. Of course, he could just Use to fix it, but it was still a shock finding the Mustang in such a state. As he circled the wreck the pattern of the scratches sunk in, and he stopped back in order to see it better. No, not patterns; words.

_What do you value more Coden? Your car, or you life?_

Realization hit him like a brick and a stream of vicious curses tumbled out, so fast they were barely audible. But two words were audible, and repeated frequently; Mason and Lyle.

What had Jonathan said? Something about signs…oh. Right. Signs warning them. Jonathan had gotten one, and then Tyson. Now him. Swearing again Coden knew what this was.

The third sign.

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	11. Final Sign

**Yay! Chapter 11! I'll try my best to get chapter 12 up soon. Pretty please review!**

Brian sat in bed, legs folded, arms crossed, eyes blazing. Right next door, the room next to his, Pogue slept, and Brian couldn't take it. All night he'd been plague with nightmares about that day, and no matter how many times he woke, shaking and drenched in sweat, they didn't leave his tortured mind. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of the event. And each time he opened his eyes, he shuddered, feeling the man's hands on his body.

He shivered and got up, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and wrapped his gray housecoat around himself. A shower was what he needed. He just wasn't sure if he could have a shower while _he_ was in his house. The bathroom on this floor was right across the hall from Pogue and Kate's room, and Brian felt that he wouldn't feel safe stripping right across that room. So he headed for the basement, where he knew no one would go.

Once under the steady stream of hot water thoughts and questions plagued his troubled mind. Why was this happening to him? Had he ever done anything to deserve this? He supposed that no one deserved what he'd gone through. To answer his question, no, he hadn't done anything. Nothing he'd done, not even as a child, was deserving of his fate, and now that very nightmare was living in his house, right next to him. He didn't stand for it. Every time he saw Pogue he'd glare and go in the opposite direction. Last night they'd all sat at the Danvers' dining room table, and when Pogue had sat down, Brian had taken his plate and went to his room. Caleb, though he understood his sons' resentment toward his friend, had found Brian's action vulgar and, after excusing himself, gone to talk to Brian. There had been a lot of yelling, attempted reasoning, and, after about a half hour of that, Caleb snapped, broke Brian's lamp, told the teen that enough was enough and to stop acting childish. A silence had fallen over them, and Caleb left, slamming Brian's door. Now he asked himself, _did I deserve that?_ Thoughtfully scrubbing his hair he frowned. No. He hadn't. Not his own father, who, until last night, had stuck up for him. Caleb had been his last defense, other than his friends. Now Pogue might try to get near Brian again, and that he wouldn't tolerate. He'd rather die then be near that man.

Brian ducked his head under the water, letting it rinse out the shampoo. The more those thoughts ran through his mind, the more the boy broke down. Soon soft sobs escaped him, hot tears rolling down his already wet cheeks, salt water mixing with fresh. He placed his hands on the wall of the shower, letting his head fall forward under the running water, his tears falling. God, why was all of this happening? He felt like he couldn't take it anymore. Even his friends were growing tired of his complaining. If they turned on him, then he'd have no one to turn to. He'd really be alone.

Despite the steaming water, Brian shivered. Could he handle being alone?

-

Tyson sat at the table, munching on some toast, reading a book that didn't hold his attention very much. But it was something to do. Caleb, Pogue, Tyler, and Reid had all gone to work. Apparently they weren't confined to the mansion like their children were. Kate, Sarah, Grace, and Taylor had all gone out too, though Tyson hadn't a clue where. Jonathan was still asleep, lazy ass, Brian he had no idea where he was, although he had a hunch that he may be having a shower in the basement. And Coden…Tyson frowned in mid chew. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen nor heard from the Simms boy since last night.

Forgetting his toast the blonde rose from the table and went to the window. Once there he rolled his eyes. The blue mustang was gone. Figures. Coden never did like the "buddy-system". Having solved that mystery, Tyson decided to go check on Brian. The Danvers boy had been down there for a while now, considering Tyson had woken up, hearing the running water, at around ten o'clock, and it was now shortly after eleven.

Once down he continued towards the bathroom, the water still going. _Jeez,_ Tyson thought. _Does he realize how much water he's using up?_ He knocked on the door and waited for a reply. When silence greeted him he opened the door a crack. " Brian?" he called. Nothing. Still thinking that the younger boy couldn't hear him over the running water, Tyson went in.

The bathroom stall door was closed, and it's unique pattern and texture made it impossible to see straight through, but Tyson could still make out a blurred shape, which could only be his best friend. But wait. Something wasn't right. Tyson squinted his eyes. The figure was slumped over, and seemed to be…on the floor? Heart picking up speed Tyson went closer to the shower and gently rapped on it with his knuckles. " Brian?" When there was no answer Tyson opened the door and his eyes widened.

" Jesus!" Tyson flung himself on his knees and anxiously surveyed the slumped, unmoving form. The brunette sat on the floor of the shower, back against the wall, eyes closed. Tyson was about to jump up when he noticed the fallen boy's rising and falling chest. There were no visible marks on him suggesting he'd been hit. He appeared to be sleeping. Tyson almost laughed, until, peering closer, he noticed Brian's eyes. Though closed, they were twitching, and his eyebrows kept scrunching up, showing signs of discomfort. Brian wasn't in a peaceful sleep. Something was wrong. Tyson reached out and shook Brian's shoulder. No response, and he did it harder. Still nothing. Something was definitely not right.

-

Brian

_Something wasn't right. What was he doing here? Hadn't he just been taking a shower? Brian blinked, but couldn't see. The fog was obscuring his vision and he began to panic. He didn't like this place. It had a feeling of loneliness, of heartache…of despair._

_Suddenly the whole area seemed to shift, and color flooded Brian's vision. Now, there were trees, a clear blue sky, and…tents? Brian frowned. What were tents doing here? He sighed. He didn't even know where _here_ was! Brian stopped as he heard laughter coming from behind the tents. Slightly curious he started forward, careful about his footing. Reaching the tents he paused, and slowly looked around them. He froze._

_Caleb, Pogue, Reid, and Tyler sat on camping chairs, all holding bears, all hopelessly drunk. Sitting on the grass playing cards were fourteen-year-olds Tyson, Brian, Coden, and Jonathan._

_Brian understood. This wasn't real. A dream. But why had he fallen asleep in the shower? Suddenly everything shifted again and he now found himself in the middle of a forest, alone. Wait. He knew this place. He'd seen it before. There was a sudden noise in the undergrowth and Brian ducked down, not wanting to be seen. Just then a boy stumbled out of some bushes, wide-eyed and gasping. His clothes were torn and his nose bloody. Fear glistened in his eyes. Brian found himself rooted to the spot, his heart having stopped beating a while ago. The young boy, whose eyes held so much terror, was himself at fourteen years of age. This was the day Pogue had molested him._

_A larger crash sounded and younger Brian whimpered as he tripped and fell. A wild-eyed Pogue appeared, and older Brian, the sight too terrifying, screamed, and fainted._

-

" What happened?"

" Is he okay?"

" Why isn't he waking up?"

All these were heard by the slightly conscience boy, but he couldn't put a face to them. He was suddenly aware of someone's hand on his shoulder, and felt something being draped over his body. Instantly warmed, he concluded that someone had placed a blanket on him. He could feel something hard underneath him, and he realized that he was lying on the floor. Odd. Why would he be lying on the floor when he had a perfectly good bed in his room? The voices started again, and he wished they'd shut up. His head hurt…a lot, and them talking so loud wasn't helping much. _Shut up_, he thought, unable to find his mouth.

The voices stopped, then one spoke more softly. " Brian?"

Hmm. Had he said that aloud? Maybe he could try again. " Shu…up." Wow. Was that his voice? It sounds so weird.

Movement. " Jonathan! He's awake!" That sounded like Tyson. He sounds worried. And Jonathan. He was here too. He couldn't hear Coden though.

Someone began lightly patting his cheek. _No! Leave me alone I'm tired!_ The patting continued, so they must not have heard him. He tried again. " 'M tired." The patting stopped, but now someone was gently shaking him and repeating his name. _That _was annoying. Maybe if he slapped him he'd stop…wait, he couldn't move his arm. What was happening? Weakness washed over him and he slumped, blackness enveloping him, the panicked voices of his friends the last thing he heard.

-

_Darkness. That's all there was. A huge void of black. Brian stood, seeing nothing. Suddenly there was a light above him, like a small spotlight, and he saw a group of people. Blinded by the sudden light Brian couldn't make them out at first. But then his vision cleared, and he saw his family and friends. They were divided into two groups; in one, there stood Pogue, Reid, Tyler, Caleb, Kate, Grace…all the parents. In the other, his brothers. His confusion blew away as sudden realization struck him. The first group held the people who were fed up with his attitude towards Pogue and to his great disappointment Caleb was there. So it was true then; his father had gotten fed up with him too. No surprise there. He knew that the adults didn't approve of him acting like he did. What _did_ surprise him though was that his friends didn't look too happy._

_Without a word Coden stepped up to Brian, eyes narrowed and lips pulled into a frown. " You're pathetic Brian! You and your attitude! It's annoying the shit out of us!" His voice was cold and he shoved Brian roughly before joining the adults._

_Too soon Jonathan came forward, glaring at Brian. " Why can't you just leave my dad alone? Huh? It's you fault this happened to you! You chose to go out alone! Your fault your fault your fault!" Tears of anger streaked down his cheeks and he too, joined the others. _

_Desperately Brian turned to Tyson, hoping to find some sort of sympathy in the blonde's eyes. There was no such thing. Only an ugly scowl etched on the blonde's face. " How about you just forget it Brian? Look around; no one's on your side anymore! We've all had it with you! We're all tired of you! So do us all a favor, and just leave us alone!" He too joined everyone else, and they disappeared, leaving Brian alone._

_He broke down, right then and there. The one thing he had been deathly afraid of, had come true. He was alone._

_Brian began to cry, and he collapsed, curling into a ball, letting the tears flow. He became aware of a presence with him and he looked up, hoping to see anyone of his family. Instead Mason and Lyle were there, grinning and laughing at him. Then they disappeared._

-

With a jolt Brian woke, gasping and looking around wildly. Tyson and Jonathan were looking down at him, deep concern in their eyes.

" Brian?" Tyson asked, eyes wide.

The dream came flooding back and Brian's breathing quickened and he curled into a ball, sobbing. Tyson and Jonathan exchanged worried looks and Tyson began rubbing Brian's back. " Hey, hey man. It's okay."

" What happened?" Jonathan asked.

Brian didn't look at them and began to shake. " I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

" Sorry for what Brian?" Tyson didn't understand.

Brian stayed silent. Was it true? Were they really fed up? If they were, why were they being so nice? And sympathetic? Like…brothers? Just then the last part of his nightmare came back. His sobbing stopped, his eyes opened, glazed with furry.

" Uh, Brian?"

" Sanderson," was all he said, his tone layered with venom.

Jonathan and Tyson understood at once. Mason and Lyle had done something to their friend. They'd received a phone call from Coden twenty minutes ago saying that Mason and Lyle had wrecked his car, and that he was fixing it. That had been the third sign. This, what happened to Brian (which they still weren't quite sure what had happened) was the fourth sign.

The final sign. The last straw.

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	12. Meeting

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 12! And I've noticed that no one's been reviewing! That makes me sad guys! Reviews modivate me and help me write more and faster. So pretty please review! I'd really appreciate it!**

The fire flickered, illuminating the central part of the room. It was the first time that fathers and sons had gone down into the basement of the Colony house together. There hadn't been a reason to. Now, there was.

The fathers sat in their chairs, while their sons stood beside them, arms folded across their chests.

Earlier that day, when the fathers had returned home from work, they were met with angry and frustrated sons. Tyson and Jonathan had explained what had happened, while Brian stayed silent, his sign still haunting him. They had explained the two remaining signs when Coden had walked in, looking exhausted. Catching him before he hell Tyler led him to the living room and sat him on the couch. When asked why he was so tired, Coden had said that the damage to his car was so severe that he'd had to Use a lot, more then he'd ever had in one time. He was drained of energy, and Tyler hadn't been happy. Wanting to discuss their next move, they went to the Colony house.

That's where they were now. All staring into the fire, their own thoughts running through their minds. Most of them were thinking the same thing; what now? Caleb's thoughts were centered on his son. After being told about the dream, he'd instantly felt bad because it was true; most of the Covenant _was_ fed up with Brian, and it was only a matter of time before their sons got fed up with him too. He had never known how Brian would feel once everyone turned away from him. Now he did.

Caleb looked around the circle, observing everyone's faces. Pogue's was concentrated, deep in though. Tyler looked anxious, chewing absentmindedly on his thumb, while Reid looked furious and ready to kill, his eyes blazing like the fire in front of them. Caleb looked up at their sons. Jonathan and Tyson were the same; nervous looking, but determined. Coden still looked drained, and lacked the fire in his eyes like everyone had, and they were worried about him. Especially Tyler, who was deathly worried about his son. Finally Caleb looked up at his own son, and was saddened to still see the distant, lost look in his eyes. The dream was still tormenting him and it looked like, if no one did anything to help him soon, Brian would begin to believe it.

" Caleb!"

The eldest man jumped and looked around, the shout having brought him out of his thoughts. His eyes settled on Pogue. " What?"

Pogue sighed, exasperated. " We were just discussing our situation. What should we do?"

" Well that's easy," Reid cut in, eyes blazing. " We find those bitches and kill their scrawny asses!"

A chorus of agreements shot up, everyone shouting at once.

Caleb held up his hand for silence. " For once, Reid is right." Everyone hushed up, astonished. Caleb had never said _that_ before! Even Reid was dumbfounded. Caleb's eyes were serious. " We do need to end this. But," he added before they got too excited. " We _do_ need a plan. So before we just rush into this, we must have a strategy. And." Everyone groaned. Caleb ignored them. " And, you four," he pointed at Tyson, Brian, Jonathan, and Coden, " are not, I repeat, _not_ to go out looking for them. Understand?"

Not one son replied, looking at each other doubtfully. Caleb persisted. " Understand?"

Reluctantly, one by one, they mumbled ' understand' back.

Caleb nodded. " Good." He looked at his watch. " We'll come back here tomorrow at nine a.m. Okay?" They all nodded.

Brian, Tyson, Coden, and Jonathan left the Colony house before their fathers. Jonathan spoke first. " Guys, we're not _really_ gonna do nothing, are we?"

In response Tyson smirked and said sarcastically, " Oh, come now Jon. Would we go behind our fathers' backs simply to get revenge? " More quietly he added, " Tonight, while everyone's asleep, we're going to have a little rendezvous with Mason and Lyle Sanderson."

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	13. No match for those more powerful

**Guys please review! You all used to review so much before there was that insanely huge gap in my updating...why have you stopped?**

**Enjoy this chapter.**

The moon glowed brilliantly in the velvet sky as four figures moved silently between the trees. The boys had snuck out and, not wanting to risk being caught, had decided to sneak through the woods behind the mansion. Unfortunately stealth wasn't their strong point.

" Oomph! Jon, quit pushing!"

" Shut up Tyson!"

" Ow! Don't step on me Coden!"

" I wouldn't have to if you weren't so slow!"

Miraculously they made it out of the forest and onto a back road. Out in the open, yet far away from the house, they were less quiet, which was more their style.

" Okay guys," Coden began. " How do we find them? We don't know where they live, or lurk about, or anything."

Brian looked at Coden disbelievingly. " Come on Coden; how did our fathers get Chase to come? They called him!"

" Yeah but we don't have their phone numbers either-"

" Coden! Not with a phone! God!"

" Then how?"

" Just by yelling it out!"

" And that's exactly what we're gonna do," Tyson said.

-

An owl hooted in the distance, causing Jonathan to jump. It was so quiet that any sudden noise, no matter how small, startled him. They were crouching behind some bushes, having ventured into another forest to call on Mason and Lyle. Except no one had done it yet. That was because no one was quite sure how to go about it. So they'd been sitting in the bushes for a good half-hour, brainstorming various ways to call them out, though all their ideas sounded stupid to them; a summoning spell, luring them out with bait, just simply yelling out their names…none appealed to them. They were stumped.

Brian sighed loudly, causing the others to jump. " Guys, why don't we just go home?"

The boys stared at him, disbelief in their eyes. " What?" Tyson sputtered.

Brian shrugged. " Well, we're just sitting here doing nothing. Besides," he added, looking at Coden, who eyed him suspiciously. " Coden's not up to it."

" What? What are you talking about Brian? I'm fine!"

" No, you're exhausted. We all know it Coden." He looked to Tyson and Jonathan for support. Reluctantly they both nodded. " He's right Coden. You still don't look so hot," Tyson conquered, while Jonathan nodded.

Coden frowned and crossed his arms, much like a stubborn child. " You're delusional. I'm fine."

Suddenly the wind picked up, whipping the boys' open jackets around. The temperature dropped a few degrees, and then Mason and Lyle appeared, smirking. Mason stepped forward and the Sons stood up, defiance in their eyes. " Is that so Coden?"

Lyle snickered. " Too bad. It would be so much more fun to see how you fight when exhausted."

The Simms boy glared, and Tyson put a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from getting into a situation they'd all regret.

Mason laughed, and contradicted his brother's earlier statement. " Good idea Garwin; wouldn't want Simms hurting himself, now would we?" He laughed again.

Tyson controlled himself. " You bastards don't know how much shit you're in!" he snarled.

The two brothers pretended to act scared. " Oh no!" Mason pleaded, holding Lyle. " Please, spare us!" They burst out laughing. " Please. You don't seem to realize just how powerful we are!"

Brian laughed this time. " Yeah right. So you guys ascended! Big deal!"

Mason nodded, growing serious. " True, we _have_ ascended. Technically, you'd be right. We wouldn't be that much stronger. But," he added, a mischievous gleam in his eye. " Who ever said that _that_ was the reason we're so powerful?"

An eerie silence settled over them and the four Sons were taken aback. What did _that_ mean? How else could they be stronger?

Without warning a black blast of energy erupted from Mason's hands and crackled over to the boys with amazing speed. They jumped out of the way just in time; the tree behind them shook, and vanished, having been disintegrated.

Breathing heavily Tyson picked himself up and conjured up an energy orb of his own and flung it at the eldest brother. He dodged it easily and, just by shooting the blonde a fierce glare, Tyson was sent soaring back, back, until he collided with a tree. He fell to the ground dazed and confused. How had Mason done that without Using? His eyes hadn't even turned black!

Smirking Mason turned his attention to the other Sons, who were taking on Lyle. Brian was flinging energy after energy at the boy, only to be completely shocked as Lyle deflected each of the Danvers' boy's attacks. During this Jonathan and Coden were battling with the older Sanderson brother, his hands no longer full with Tyson, who was still slightly winded and dazed. Even though it was two against one, the odds were still in Mason's favor.

Jonathan rushed at him, Using like a mad man. A cry of hatred escaped his lips as he hurtled on. Mason didn't react. He was prepared, eager even, to take on the youngest Son. He'd enjoyed hurting him the last time, and this time wouldn't be any different.

Waiting until Jonathan was half way over Mason stomped on the ground, hard, creating an invisible wave of Power. With no time to retaliate Jonathan was hit by the force and was sent hurtling backwards, crashing into a tree. He didn't get up, though he was awake.

Anger surging within him Coden conjured up a ball of electricity, launched it at Mason, who dodged it with ease. Grinning, he didn't counter the attack. Coden was puzzled, until a wave of exhaustion crashed over him. His friends were right; he'd Used too much the day before, and obviously wasn't strong enough to Use just yet. Why hadn't he listened to his brothers? Light headed and swaying, the boy fell to the ground, and passed out.

Smirking Mason stepped over the fallen boy and walked to Jonathan, who was only now getting up. Just as he began creating more energy from his hands, a blue blast soared towards him and hit him square in the back. Howling with rage and pain he turned around, eyes blazing, and saw Tyson, chest heaving with effort. Blood was running from his forehead and his arm.

Forgetting the shaggy haired boy Mason turned around completely, and was a bit surprised at the setting before him. Around twenty trees in all directions were gone, smashed to splinters by the amount of Using. Still looking around he nodded in satisfaction. " Well, I must say Garwin, I'm impressed. I thought that you and your brothers would've quit a while ago."

Tyson glowered, fists clenched. Without a word Tyson clasped his hands together, slowly separating them, creating a golden ring of Power, spreading his hands wider and wider, making the ring larger and larger, until it was big enough to engulf a cow. Yelling in anger and frustration the blonde heaved the ring at Mason. For once he was caught off guard and the ring hit him in the chest. A yelp of surprise and pain broke free of his mouth as he fell back.

Tyson grinned in satisfaction and, in the time the older Magic user was down, he surveyed the battle area. Trees were splintered, dirt disturbed and, to his dismay, blood spattered on the ground. Throwing a quick glance at the still fallen man, Tyson scanned the area for his brothers. He saw Jonathan and Brian right away, battling with Lyle. His heart skipped a beat when he saw how slow and tired they looked, blood staining their torn clothing. But still they fought strong, and Tyson's confidence was restored. They'd win this. Their fathers were wrong. They could handle Chase's sons. It was four against two. It was a no brainer who'd win. Then his heart faltered again. Where was Coden? Frantically he looked around, and jolted when he saw his brother's collapsed body. He _knew_ that Coden was too tired; why hadn't he just listened to them?

Suddenly a force thundered into his back and he stumbled forward, struggling to breath. Turning around he saw Mason. The warlock was standing, though his chest was heaving. Tyson's attack had affected him at least. The blonde sighed. How long was this going to last?

-

Brian stumbled back, tripping over something and fell. His breath came in gasps, and his head spun. Exhaustion was taking control, but he withstood the temptation to pass out. He and Tyson, by the looks of it, were the only ones left. Coden was down for the count, and Brian had unfortunately seen it coming. He had Used too much that day he received his sign. He shouldn't have come. And Jonathan, as hard as he had tried, had succumbed to his wounds and exhaustion, and now lay a few yards away. Brian's breathing quickened as Lyle approached, seemingly unharmed, which made no sense. He and Jonathan had fought so hard. Lyle should at least be limping. But he wasn't, and advanced. How was this possible? Every time the two older warlocks Used, they did so without darkening their irises. That wasn't possible. Something wasn't right. Plus, they were just too strong! Even their fathers, who'd ascended long ago, weren't that strong, and it made no sense.

No time to dwell on it now. The evil Sanderson was nearly upon him, and Brian forced himself to stand, despite his exhaustion.

Lyle laughed. " Well I must say Danvers. I didn't think you and blondie over there would last this long. I am impressed."

Brian glared. " If you're impressed now, wait 'til Tyson and I beat your sorry asses!"

" Ha! When hell freezes over!"

" Oh, then I hope you bring a jacket!" Brian launched a string of attacks at him, and he dodged all of them. No, wait. He didn't dodge them; they just, disappeared as soon as they came within a meter of him. Brian stood wide-eyed; mouth gaped.

Lyle laughed. " Don't look so shocked Brian! We _told_ you we were stronger!" A sudden scream caught both boys' attention and they turned towards the cry. They saw Mason standing over Tyson's limp form. The older Sanderson smirked and made his way over to his brother.

Brian gulped, but didn't back down. Both brothers looked at him, then Mason grabbed Lyle's hand. Brian grew confused. What the hell were they doing? Their hands clasped together, each brother raised his free hand high in the air, and closed their eyes. The wind picked up a notch, and then both boys began to speak. Only it wasn't English; in fact, it wasn't any language Brian had ever heard before. Their voices were strong and loud, the words, though unrecognizable, were still menacing. And Brian stood there, immobilized. Their chant quickened, and the wind's strength grew. Thunder rolled up above and lightning flashed. Suddenly, as if the clouds had been ripped open, rain showered down, instantly drenching everything below. And still Mason and Lyle chanted, and still Brian stood. The lightning crashed, and suddenly two giant bolts of lightning surged down, and were absorbed into each Sanderson's free hand. The boys jerked for a moment as the lightning entered them, but then they were still again, continuing their mantra, which grew louder and more forceful as the storm grew wilder. The lightning continued to flow into the brothers, an impossible amount, when it suddenly stopped. The whole storm stopped, and it was so calm that it was almost, no, it _was_ eerie.

Mason and Lyle opened their eyes and Brian gasped. Not only were they black, but also red lightning-like lines were flickering in them, swirling around. Their hands that had collected the lightning were sparking, bits of the energy flickering around them. Their faces were set in ugly sneers, and they let go of each other's hands and advanced. Brian just stared, amazed and petrified. They laughed. " Still think we're more powerful because of ascending?" Their faces became hard and cold, their strange eyes furious. With grunts of effort they brought their hands back, and then thrusted them forward, and with it, about 50 volts of electricity each. All Brian could see was brightness, and then the lightning hit him. The most excruciating pain he'd ever known coursed through him and he felt himself being blown off his feet and flying backwards. More pain stung at him as he hit a tree, and then fell to the ground, landing hard on his front. He jerked a few times, then lie still.

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	14. A horrifying dilemma

The forest was calm, peaceful even, with tiny drops of dew glistening on the vegetation. Little woodland creatures scurried about, unconcerned with the damaged trees and the four unconscious bodies lying in the dirt. They were concerned, however, with the four larger bodies stomping amongst the bushes and shrubs, calling out in frantic voices.

Last night, while at the Danvers' estate, all four fathers had felt a power so strong they nearly passed out. It was then that they'd realized that their sons were not in rooms, and knew that they'd disobeyed them and gone looking for Chase's sons. By the strength of the Power, it was obvious they'd been found. They had left in a hurry, ignoring the women's questioning stares.

Now they trekked through the forest, knowing that the source of the Power they'd felt had come from there, Caleb and Pogue in the lead, with Reid and Tyler on their heals. Their heads surveyed all around them, desperately seeking their sons. They had been calling out, but stopped when all they got was silence.

Soon Caleb stopped and ran a hand through his hair. " Okay guys. This is going to take forever-"

" And they might not have that long," Reid whispered, stating the obvious, but sad truth.

" So," Caleb continued. " We should split up. We'll cover more ground and find them quicker." They all nodded in agreement and parted.

Tyler went to the right, moving quickly. This was not good. Not only were their sons here somewhere, but Mason and Lyle weren't. Which meant that their sons had lost, and were lying hurt, or, possibly, dying. Tyler shoved that thought out of his mind. No. They'd be fine. They were strong boys. Soon after another image popped into his head. Coden. Panic surged within his body. He knew that his son had been exhausted after fixing his car, and now he had gone to fight Chase's sons. And now, there was no sign of him. Desperately he picked up his pace. " Coden! Coden!"

-

Pogue sighed. They had been searching for twenty minutes and still they found nothing. He was getting really afraid. He was worried for all of them, even Brian, who hated him. It wasn't a secret; the Danvers boy never passed up a chance to let Pogue know that he loathed him. Pogue wished that Brian would forgive him. He remembered, before that day, they used to be really close, which was probably why what Pogue had done to him had affected their relationship so badly. He still felt terrible, and Brian's glaring at him didn't help.

He was brought back to the present when he heard an odd sound. Stopping where he was Pogue listened. In the eerie, complete silence he was surprised when he found he could hear someone's faint, ragged breathing. It took him a second to piece it together and realize that the breathing belonged to one of their sons. Heart racing he hurried towards the pitiful sound.

Soon he closed in on it, and nearly stumbled when he saw who it was. Brian lay on his front, head turned to the side, eyes closed, his clothing soaked with blood. Forgetting what he had just been thinking about, Pogue ran to the fallen boy's side and got down on his knees, examining him. There wasn't much to tell; there was a dark red stain on his lower back, some more trickling from his head, and that was all he could see from this point of view. Shaking, Pogue gently took the boy and rolled him over onto his back. This point of view brought a gasp from the older man. More blood soaked his chest and Pogue noticed for the first time that Brian was twitching feebly. Something caught his eye and Pogue put his hand on Brian's chest softly, and nearly yelped as his hand came flying back. Brian's chest was burning hot. Seriously concerned Pogue lifted the teenager's shirt so that he could see what was wrong. The shirt now raised to the base of his neck he saw the full extent of the damaged and recoiled as his stomach begged to be emptied. Coughing and wiping his mouth Pogue swallowed and went back. This was bad.

Brian's chest had somehow suffered third-degree burns, the skin charcoal black and peeling, blood seeping out between the cracks. Beneath the black, blistered flesh the tender skin was a pale pink, glossy with watering blood. Pogue couldn't fathom how that had happened. He ran a hand through his long hair. He didn't know what to do. He'd never dealt with this kind of burn before. It was a serious burn, and he'd only ever dealt with minor ones, like the kind one gets from a hot-glue gun. This, to him, looked like an electrical burn, though how Brian had gotten an electrical burn in the middle of the forest was beyond him.

Tossing those thoughts aside Pogue concentrated on his best friend's son. _Okay, don't panic,_ he told himself. _First, make sure he'd at least alive_. He leaned in closer, listening. Sure enough he could hear faint, slow breaths. They were ragged as well. _Okay, good. He's alive. Now what?_ Pogue rocked back and forth on his knees, trying to think. He let out a disgruntled sigh. Who was he kidding? He had no idea what to do! Finally he settled on trying to wake him up. It was the only thing he could think of. But when he looked down, he realized that he didn't need to awaken the boy; he was already awake. And Pogue was startled with what he saw.

Fear glistened in wide eyes, mouth moving like a fish out of water, no words coming from it. Pogue couldn't understand at first why Brian looked so scared. Then it hit him; here they were, Brian on his back, with Pogue leaning over him, and Brian's shirt was lifted up. The last time they'd been like this was three years ago, and Pogue had been drunk. Brian clearly thought that this was a repeat of last time.

Pogue didn't want him to think that; it was the last thing he wanted Brian to think. He smiled reassuringly down at him and went to pull Brian's shirt back down. Bad idea. Brian flinched violently away from the man's hands, and that movement brought out an agony-filled scream as his scalded chest split and peeled even more.

Pogue jumped, the scream having startled him. Oh how he wanted to comfort the boy. But he couldn't. Brian was too afraid. He waited for Brian to calm down again, and when his screaming turned into more harsh sobs, Pogue attempted to talk to him.

" Brian."

He cringed and stared up at Pogue with wide eyes. Pogue started again. " Brian, please, please don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

Brian didn't say anything, nor did he believe him for a second. Pogue cleared his throat. " I'm sorry for what I did. I'd give anything to go back and change the past. But I can't. No one can. All we can do is either forgive, or forget. I'm not going to force you to do either Brian. It's your choice. I can only hope-"

" Get…away…from me."

Pogue's heart sank, though he didn't know why he was so surprised. Did he really expect Brian to forgive him just like that? Of course not. He noticed that Brian was struggling to say more, and he let him.

" You don't…even…talk to me," he growled in a faint voice. His eyes were watering and Pogue could tell he was in pain. " No one…cares about…what you…did…to me. They don't…give…a fuck. It's always… ' Forgive him Brian' and… 'It wasn't his fault'. Bullshit!" He paused and took a long, shaky breath. His eyes hardened. " You're a…bastard. And…I'll n-never forgive you."

Silence corrupted them, and Pogue didn't know how to react. He knew that Brian hated him, and he knew he'd say something like this. But he didn't know it would hurt so much. Then he set his mouth in a straight line. " Fine. I'll leave you alone. You can find Caleb yourself. I've got my own son to find." He stood up.

Brian glared and said nothing. Wincing he supported his upper body on his elbows, lips pursed, eyes watering. A soft gasp escaped his tightened lips as he heaved himself up higher on his elbows, minding his wounded chest, and Pogue looked on. Stubbornly Brian tried again to get up, and then froze. Pogue raised an eyebrow. Maybe now he'd see that he _did_ need his help to find Caleb. He waited for Brian to say something.

He didn't. Still frozen, panic filled his eyes as he stared at his legs. Pogue began to worry. Why wasn't he leaving? As Pogue continued to stare at the teen, he began to notice the alarm in his eyes. Growing concerned his frustration melted and he took a step forward. " Brian?"

He didn't look at Pogue, but his horror grew. Suddenly he let out a blood-curdling, panic-filled scream. " Oh God! Oh God my legs! My-my legs!"

Genuine terror arose within Pogue and he dashed to Brian's side and fell to his knees, trying to make sense of his panic. " Brian what is it? What about your legs? Tell me!" He was yelling now out of fear and frustration.

" My legs! I can't feel them! I can't move m-my legs! Oh God help me!"

Pogue felt a cold sweat develop on his body. He turned his head away. " Caleb!"


	15. Everything's different

**Alright chapter 15 is now up. Enjoy and I'll update asap. Review!**

The world was no longer right. It no longer made sense. The world was now filled with pain, distraught, and anger. Happiness was no longer a known feeling. The word 'happy' meant nothing. The air was full of suffering, and it didn't look as if that feeling would be going away for a while.

Worry, pain, angst, a whole mixture of awful emotions clouded the eyes of Caleb Danvers, who sat on the cushioned waiting room chair, hands clasped together, leg bouncing absentmindedly, staring nothing. His mind was swirling with thoughts, and the memory when he'd found his son was the most prominent.

-

_He sighed as he knelt beside Jonathan, who was just coming around. His injuries didn't appear too severe; a deep cut on his forehead, minor cuts everywhere else on his face. His left arm was bleeding heavily, and besides a ton of bruises, nothing appeared broken. At least not that he could see._

_Jonathan stirred more and his eyes focused on the eldest Covenant member. A sheepish smile spread across his battered face. " So Caleb, how much trouble are we in?"_

_Caleb let out a tired laugh and gently ruffled Jonathan's hair. " Plenty of time for that later Jonathan. Now, can you walk? We should try and find the others."_

_Jonathan paused, then nodded. Caleb helped him up and put a supportive arm around his waist._

_They walked in silence, both worrying about the others. As they walked they looked around, hoping to spot someone. Caleb looked at Jonathan and wondered what he was thinking._

_" Caleb!"_

_Both men jumped and spun in the direction of the voice. Two figures were making their way towards them, and Caleb found himself looking at Reid and Tyson. Caleb let out some of the breath he'd been hiding; only two more left to find._

_Reid and his son met them, Tyson's arm over his father's shoulder. " I think his ankle's broken," Reid said, answering Caleb's questioning look. " Other than that, just a bunch of scrapes and bruises it all." Reid seemed to notice Jonathan for the first time. He nodded in his direction. " How's Jonathan?"_

_" Doesn't seem too bad. Have you found anyone else?" There was hope in his voice, and Reid knew he was hoping that Brian had been found. He shook his head. " Sorry Caleb. But Tyler and Pogue are still out there; I'm sure everyone's been found."_

_Just then a twig snapped and they all turned to see who it was. Tyler paced towards them, though they saw something in his arms. As he neared them, they saw that it was Coden. Fear clutched at all of them, fearing the worst Jonathan took a step forward, swallowing the lump in his throat. " Coden…?" he whispered._

_Tyler reached them, a somber look in his blue eyes. He shook his head. " No, Jonathan, he's fine. Just tired. Sill."_

_" Has he woken up yet?" Reid asked._

_He again shook his head. " No. I found him, and I'm not sure how hurt he is. I couldn't get him to wake up, so I just picked him up and tried to find you guys." His voice cracked at some parts, and his friends knew that he was seriously concerned for his son. They all were._

_Tyler cleared his throat. " So, um, where's Pogue?"_

_They looked around. Caleb shrugged. " Dunno. Haven't found Brian yet though."_

_" Don't worry Caleb. We will." Reid patted his shoulder reassuringly._

_Caleb smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes._

_Suddenly the silence was shattered by a yell. " Caleb!" They all jumped and panicked. That was Pogue! Forgetting Jonathan Caleb took off, followed more slowly by everyone else. Panic flared in Caleb's mind. Why would Pogue be yelling like that? The second-oldest man sounded scared, alarmed. Fear for his son plagued him and he ran faster._

_" Pogue! Pogue where are you?"_

_" Here! Caleb hurry!"_

_That didn't sound good. Pogue's voice was full of urgency. Something was terribly wrong. Branches slapped his face as he ran faster, and finally found his best friend._

_His heart broke._

_Brian was on his back, his bloody chest heaving with effort. Pogue sat a few feet away, but jumped up when Caleb arrived. Caleb looked from Pogue to Brian, eyes wide and panic filled. He couldn't take it anymore; he made a dash for his son, and Pogue looked on, eyes watering._

_Caleb got down on his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks. He hated seeing his son like this; his face was pale from blood loss, eyes glazing over, with a faraway look in his eyes, tears trickling down his face, teeth clenched. He didn't seem to be aware that his father was right beside him. Caleb wiped his tears that were obscuring his vision and reached over and carefully and slowly lifted Brian's shirt up. He recoiled, and Pogue pulled him up and turned him away. Caleb looked up at him, shaking. " Wh-what's w-wrong with m-my s-s-son?" Fresh tears began to fall as he waited for the answer he dreaded._

_Pogue averted eye contact for a few minutes, and in that time everyone else arrived and stopped short when they saw the scene in front of them. Pogue swallowed and looked Caleb in the eyes. " Caleb, I don't know how he got electrocuted or whatever happened to his chest, but, but he's…" He coughed. " I think he's paralyzed below the waist."_

_Caleb felt the world spin, and he fell into a great, black void._

-

" Caleb? Caleb!"

He jumped, heart thudding, then he realized where he was. The hospital. He looked up and saw Pogue standing in front of him, Reid sitting beside him, looking at the eldest man anxiously. Caleb shook his head and sighed. " Has the doctor come yet?"

Pogue shook his head. " Not yet."

Caleb rubbed his eyes. They'd been at the hospital for over three hours, and hadn't heard anything yet.

He looked around. " Where's Tyler?"

Reid answered this time. " Bathroom. Again. Baby Boy's really worried about Coden." He paused and looked at Pogue. " We all are."

Caleb frowned. " What do you mean? He's just tired is all."

" No. There's something wrong with him. The doctor said-"

" I thought you said that no one came yet?"

" No one came about Brian. He said that Coden's not just tired. He said he might have pneumonia. Tyler's been emptying his stomach ever since."

Caleb frowned again. " Pneumonia? From Mason and Lyle?"

" Well we obviously didn't mention them Caleb," Reid snapped. " We're not stupid. We just told them that he'd been exhausted lately, and then he used a lot of energy, which is what basically happened. The doctor thinks he may have come down with pneumonia, but he's not sure yet."

Just then Tyler returned, his skin pale. Reid supported his weak brother and helped him to a chair. Tyler sat heavily, leaning forward and holding his face in his hands. Reid sat beside him, rubbing his back comfortingly. " Don't worry Baby Boy. Coden's gonna be fine. He might not even have pneumonia!"

" But he might," Tyler mumbled into his hands.

" Mr. Danvers, Perry, Garwin, and Simms?"

They all looked up and saw Dr. Hawkins standing in front of them, clipboard in hand. They all stood up, eager to hear the news on their sons.

Dr. Hawkins glanced at the clipboard. " Well, I'll tell you the good news first. They're all going to make it."

Sighs of relief left the fathers. " But," the doctor continued. " There is, of course, some bad news. Now, Jonathan Perry and Tyson Garwin aren't too bad off. A broken rib and multiple stitches in many places are Jonathan's injuries, and Tyson received a broken ankle and stitches as well. Both boys may go home tonight, but must take it easy. Jonathan in particular; seems just yesterday he left here with some healing ribs. Which, by the way, are doing quite nicely." He paused and flipped some papers on the clipboard, reading them over. " Coden Simms."

Tyler's head jerked, and waited intently for Dr. Hawkins to continue.

" I'm sorry to say that I was correct when I had told you that your son had pneumonia. He has all the symptoms; fever, chills, fatigue, aches. Fortunately it isn't too severe. You can take him home tomorrow, but you must take great care with him. If not, he'll get worse and be forced to stay here until he gets better. Oh, and he doesn't have much of an appetite, so don't force him to eat too much. He has to eat a little bit though. I'll write you down a list of things he'll need, don't worry."

Tyler breathed out, and Reid hugged his shoulders and whispered, " Told ya."

Finally Dr. Hawkins reached the last page. " And Brian Danvers." He looked at Caleb, eyes filled with sympathy. " You son has third degree burns on his chest, and we gave him some morphine for his discomfort and we've bandaged it up. Luckily it didn't get infected so-"

" What about his legs?" Caleb cut in.

A sad look came over the doctor's face. This was one of the many distressing news he had to deliver to family members. " I'm so very sorry Mr. Danvers. Brian is paraplegic; his lower half is paralyzed. We did all we could. We can talk about the next step later, or now if you'd like."

Caleb didn't hear that last part; his world had just turned upside down, and his legs felt weak. He was aware that he was falling and someone caught him, while someone else asked what the next step was. He faintly heard something about rehab, and expensive. But it was hard to concentrate on them when all he could really think about was his son.

He soon found his voice again, and found that he was now sitting on a chair. " Can I see him?" he whispered.

" Of course. He's awake. In fact, you can all see your sons. Follow me."

They followed the doctor to the separate rooms, and Caleb entered his son's room quietly. He told himself that he did so for Brian's benefit, so he wouldn't startle him. But, deep down, Caleb knew that was a lie; truth was, he was afraid. Afraid of what he'd see. Sighing he fully entered.

The machines beside the bed beeped in the dim room, the blinds having been shut. Slowly he made his way to the bed, and sat in the chair beside it. The soft breathing reassured Caleb slightly, though he knew that his son was suffering. Hesitantly he reached out and gently placed his hand on Brian's arm. Without flinching the boy turned his head and looked at his father.

Caleb forced a smile. " Hey Brian. How, um, how are you?" He silently cursed himself for asking that. What kind of question was that? Of course he felt shitty!

Instead of snapping back like usual, Brian sluggishly shrugged. " I can't feel my legs if that's what you mean."

Caleb sighed. " That's not what I meant." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Brian filled the silence. " How's everyone else?" he asked, worry in his voice.

" Jonathan has a broken rib, and Tyson a broken ankle. Coden has pneumonia, but it's not that bad."

Brian frowned. " Pneumonia? How's that possible? From Mason and Lyle?"

" No. We think he got it before, which is why he was so tired all the time."

" No, he was tired because he Us-" he paused and lowered his voice. " He Used too much. That's why. He doesn't have that."

" Brian, trust me; when we were younger, Reid did what Coden had done, and he was tired for only that day. The next morning he was back to normal. Don't worry about him Brian; he's going home tomorrow. He's not that sick."

" When's everyone else going home?"

" Tonight."

A twinge of jealously passed through his eyes, and Caleb noticed. " Don't worry son; the doctor said you can come home tomorrow."

Brian gave him a skeptical look. " How? I can't walk."

The way he said it hurt Caleb deep inside; it was almost as if he didn't care, like life had no more meaning any more. " Well, you'll be in a wheel chair-"

" What? No, no way!"

" Brian, you have to be! I mean, until you go to rehab-"

" Rehab?" Brian was shouting now.

" Calm down! Yes, rehab. We've got enough money; you'll go there, and get better. You'll see."

" But that'll take years! I don't want to be in a wheel chair that long!" he protested.

" I'm sorry Brian, but it has to be that way. We'll all help you-"

" I don't wanna be confined to that damn chair! I don't want anyone to see me like that!"

" Brian, it's not a big deal!"

" Yes it is! Everyone will treat me different!" He crossed his arms. " As long as I'm in that thing, I'm not leaving the house."

" That's not healthy Brian."

" Then I'll sit outside for a bit! In the back," he added stubbornly.

Caleb sighed. " Brian, we'll treat you the same. I won't lie to you; there will be some things you won't be able to do anymore, but everything will still be the same."

" No it won't! I'll need help with everything!"

" Probably." Caleb began to tire of this. " Brian, just accept it-"

" No!" He glared furiously at his father. " I won't! You're always telling me to accept things and move on! Well, I can't! Not from this! Everyone will stare, and pity me, and I can't do anything about it! I'm gonna be stuck in a fucking chair forever! I won't get better, and there's nothing anyone can do about it!"

" Brian-"

" And you can just take whatever pity shit you're about to say and shove it up your ass because nothing will change what I am! I'm a fucking cripple, I'll always be one and I'll probably end up killing myself one day, and it'll be your entire fault because if you had just come and fight with us instead of having to come up with a stupid, fucked up plan then-"

" Enough!" Caleb roared, standing up swiftly. " I've had it with your negative attitude! I'm sick of it! And your language! You are not to talk to me like that! Now, I'm leaving so you can cool down. Tomorrow, you will come home, in a wheel chair, and you will suck it up!" With that he turned around, exited the room and slammed the door.

Guilt washed over him as he paced away from the room. He hadn't meant to say those things, but he was just so frustrated! He was sacred too. Scared as hell for his son. Brian was already depressed about losing everyone's understanding about his anger (and fear) of Pogue, but now he couldn't walk, and most likely wouldn't be able to do much by himself. He swallowed nervously. Would Brian really commit suicide?

" Caleb."

" Hmm?" He looked up and saw Reid looking at him, concerned. " Oh, hey man."

" You alright?"

He sighed. " No."

" What's wrong Caleb?"

" I lost it with Brian. I just got so frustrated with him…which might push him even further away."

" What do you mean?"

" I don't want to talk about it." He rubbed his face. " Where's everyone else?"

" Pogue's outside with Jonathan and Tyson. I came back in to get Ty."

" He still with Coden?"

The blonde nodded. " Yeah. Tyler refuses to leave, even though Coden's going home tomorrow. Come on," he added, grabbing Caleb's shoulder. " I'll need some help prying Baby Boy away."

**Forcing a smile Caleb nodded and followed, though guilt still filled his heart.**

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